Park Gate dentists provide free care for homeless patients
A dental team from Park Gate, Portsmouth, has brought smiles to the faces of homeless patients after running a free clinic in partnership with Dentaid. Titchfield Dental Health teamed up with the charity to offer a range of services to homeless people based across the South East.
Dr Claire Chavasse, owner and principal dentist, said that life is hard enough when you’re homeless without having to contend with dental pain. When you’re struggling to find a safe, dry place to sleep and food to eat, dental health comes far down the list of priorities, and it’s also very difficult for homeless people to access dental care due to cost. By joining forces with Dentaid, the team was able to reach out to homeless people in the local area.
The Titchfield Dental Health team used Dentaid’s mobile clinic to provide treatment for those who are not registered with an NHS dental practice. The unit, which is kitted out like a treatment room, enabled the team to provide emergency relief in addition to an array of general dental and restorative services.
Carl was one of many patients who benefited from taking a trip to the mobile clinic. After seeing the team and receiving bespoke dentures, he was delighted to be able to show off a full set of teeth, having lived with several gaps in his smile for years.
For Claire, running the clinics with Dentaid is a way of giving back and helping those who can’t access dental services. Claire started her career working from a van in Titchfield more than 30 years ago and she said that it seemed apt to be operating from a mobile unit once again.
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