On Saturday, May 21, some 40 dentists across Southern Vermont are volunteering their time to help patients in need, as five locations in three different counties host a simultaneous Free Dental Care Day.
Oral surgeons and dentists, along with hygienists, dental assistants and administrative staff, will be volunteering their time for an entire day. In addition, the United Way will partner with the doctors to help make this event an extraordinary day for uninsured low-income community members in need of dental care.
The all-day event provides extractions and dental restorative care to Vermonters 18 years or older who do not carry any dental insurance on a first-come, first-served basis. Those interested in receiving dental care are encouraged to arrive and register early in order to ensure treatment.
Patients will be able to register at a specific location in their county. Upon registering, they will be referred to the dentist best suited to serve their needs and will be treated the same day. Southern Vermont registration locations include:
• Bennington: Oral and Facial Surgery Associates, 2 Harwood Drive
• Manchester: Richard Heilemann, DDS, 74 Long View Drive, Manchester Center
(To pre-register for Bennington and Manchester only, call 802-367-1155)
• Wilmington, Robert S. Ruhl, DMD, PC, 25 Coldbrook Rd.
• Brattleboro, Brattleboro Elks Lodge, 75 Putney Rd.
This Free Dental Care Day was created by a combination of the International Team of Implantology (Project-31) and Drs. John-Michael Stewart, Robert S. Ruhl and Louis A. Beaudette in August 2008. The event covers Rutland, Manchester, Bennington, Wilmington and Brattleboro, and will be the fifth Free Dental Care Day since its inception.
“This is probably going to be our most successful Free Dental Care Day yet,” said Stewart. “I'm glad that this is catching on. Helping out our fellow Vermonters helps them, and their community. It is pretty much acknowledged that oral health is reflective of a person's overall health. In that respect, dentists, hygienists and assistants are the front line of health care.”
“Vermont is all about helping others and I like to think this Free Dental Care Day is in line with that sense of community we get from living here,” said Dr. Ruhl. “Whether it's shoveling someone's driveway, helping raise a barn, or providing free dental care, we help our neighbors.”
The Free Dental Care Day could not operate without financial and other support from the United Ways of Bennington, Rutland, and Windham Counties, Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), Proctor & Gamble, Crest, Patterson Dental, Henry Schein Dental and the Vermont State Dental Society and its member dentists.
For information, call Carmen Derby at the United Way of Windham County at 802-257-4011.