Missouri charity dental clinic provides $600,000 worth of free care in one weekend
A charity dental clinic, which was organised by the Missouri Dental Association and the Mission of Mercy provided more than $600,000 worth of free dental care last weekend (Friday 16th and Saturday 17th August).
The event, which took place in St Joseph, enabled 500 adults to receive free treatment. In total, over the course of the two-day event, volunteers removed more than 1,200 teeth, placed more than 700 fillings, and carried out 64 root canals.
The Mission of Mercy is a charity, which works all over the US to enable people who cannot afford to see a dentist to get the treatment they need. Without events like the one in St Joseph, it would be virtually impossible for patients who don’t have insurance or the money to pay for dental care to see a dentist. The cost of fitting crowns, treating decay and gum disease, and extracting and replacing teeth can run into hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
Dr Tim Curry, co-chair of the Missouri Mission of Mercy, said that even though teams have been working at these events for eight years, the impact of charity clinics remains staggering. Every year, people come with horrific and upsetting stories of how they’ve struggled with dental pain and how they couldn’t possibly afford to see a dentist, and it becomes clear just how important initiatives like the Mission of Mercy are. More than 500 volunteers gave up their time to help out with providing treatments and making sure the clinic ran smoothly.
Join this Discussion