Hundreds Of Volunteers Bring Smiles To San Antonians At Mission Of Mercy Event
Almost 1,000 volunteers gave up their time to bring smiles to people in need last weekend as the Mission of Mercy visited San Antonio.
Nine hundred and thirty eight people gave up their weekend to volunteer at the free charity event, which provided hundreds with dental treatment.
The Mission of Mercy event, which was organised by the American Dental Association, took place on Sunday and 1,000 people benefited from free dental care. Many of them had not been able to see a dentist for long periods of time due to a lack of finances and dental insurance.
Aldin Dickerson was one of the lucky San Antonians who received treatment at the event; he queued for hours with his mum and three siblings and said that the event was a sign that dentists are willing to help out and give up their time to help people in need.
Kathy Nelson was another who benefited from a dentist’s expert touch; she had some fillings and a rough tooth smoothed out by Dr Ron, one of the 160 dentists who helped out at the charity event. Kathy had queued since 1.30am but was delighted with the results of her treatment and it was definitely worth the wait and the early wake-up call; her husband is disabled, so affording dental care is a struggle.
Maria Lopez Howell, consumer adviser at the American Dental Association, said that there was an “oral care crisis” across America and many people are struggling to see a dentist on a regular basis, which is leading to high rates of dental disease. The event was a chance to show the people of San Antonio that dentists care and a means of making dental treatment accessible to those who really need help.
Join this Discussion