Free Dentist Event Draws Record Crowd

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An event held in Georgia to provide free dental care for a day has pulled in a record number of people seeking free treatment for their dental problems.

Dentistry from the Heart events are held frequently across America, providing free dental treatment for one day only to less fortunate Americans that cannot afford regular dental care. An event of its kind usually sees an average of around 80 people treated throughout the day but the event held in Georgia on the 24th of September saw a record 167 people treated by generous dentists who donated their services to the one-day event.

The event began at 7am but demand for the free service meant that crowds were forming outside the treatment centre as early as 2am. The dentists finally finished their hard day’s work at 3.45pm. The day also saw a massive $55,000 donated in dental care and Rachel DeRing, director of marketing for the event said, “We really exceeded our expectations.”

DeRing went on to speak of the economic troubles for Americans today, “There are a lot of people out of work right now,” she said. “Even people who have jobs sometimes don’t have money to pay for dental insurance.”

The Dentistry from the Heart service is a nonprofit organisation founded in 2001 by Dr. Vincent Monticciolo. The event’s success relies on kind-hearted dentists and dental practices donating a day’s time and resources to offer a free service for underprivileged patients.

The inspiration for the organistaion was Monticciolo’s recognition of the many charities providing free dental services for underprivileged children in America. For underprivileged adults, who may have spent a lifetime without sufficient dental care, the dental problems can often be much more severe and much more painful. For this reason, Dentistry from the Heart aims to treat adults who do not have dental insurance or the money to pay for their dental treatment.

Dental treatment is often a necessity pushed to the back of the pile when money is an issue. Tait Carpenter, a dentist who took part in the Georgia event, said, “If people have a choice between having a tooth pulled or putting food on the table, they’re going to choose putting food on the table.”

“The statistics show that, nationally, only about 50% of the U.S. population seeks regular dental care,” Matthew Allen, another of the generous dentists offering their services, said. “This is the most industrialised nation in the world and less than half its people seek dental care.”

Allen added, “If we can do something like this, it makes a big impact…and we had a lot of fun doing it.” And fun they had indeed – there was music playing and onlookers got into the giving spirit by bringing food to the event for doctors and patients alike to enjoy.

The day was a huge success for the dentists of Georgia, treating a range of dental problems and saving suffering patients that would otherwise have had to tolerate the agony that comes with dental problems. “We’re going to try to do this every year,” Allen said.

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