Among the 1,100 people who attended a free dental clinic at the XL Center on Friday -- the first in Hartford – was 26-year-old stay-at-home mom, Ghada Abdalla; her husband, doctoral student Mahmoud Abdalla, 30; their 4-year-old daughter; and their 1-year-old son.
"Me and my husband had the fillings," Ghada Abdalla of Storrs said as she left the center in the late morning holding her son and grabbing for the hand of her daughter, who was toddling around, "and they had the cleaning."
She's had a toothache for months and, unable to afford dental care, she was planning on pulling the tormenting tooth, Abdalla explained. But fortunately, she said, she heard about the 7th Annual Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic (CTMOM).
"It's amazing," she said, "People here are so nice."
The clinic reached its capacity of roughly 1,100 around 2 p.m. Friday, organizers said. Doors were scheduled to reopen 6 a.m. Saturday.
The free clinic provides a full range of dental services on a first-come, first-served basis. Besides cleanings and fillings, dentists and hygienists were offering extractions, X-rays, front-tooth root-canal therapy, and temporary partial prosthetics.
"Also this year, for the first time, a special portion of the clinic is being set aside to provide dental care and prenatal dental education to expectant mothers," organizers boasted in a press release..
But no pregnant women could be seen late Thursday morning at the section set aside for them. Workers said they were disappointed that the expectant women who did show were few and far between.
Still, throngs of patients sat in 135 dental chairs behind curtains set up for privacy. In the din of dental drills, others sat on the other sides of the curtains, patiently waiting for service.
One of the approximately 1,500 volunteers took a toothbrush to the sharp white teeth of a toy fish to show an adolescent how to brush properly.
"We are thrilled to finally bring CTMOM to Hartford, and once again we cannot thank our legislative leaders and friends throughout the community enough for all of their support. They have been invaluable in helping to spotlight the oral healthcare crisis that exists in Connecticut, where hundreds of thousands of people are still without access to proper dental care. The annual CTMOM free dental clinic is our small part in helping as many people as we can with free dental services," CTMOM Co-chair Dr. Bruce Tandy said.
"It is critical to note, though, that while CTMOM is a great charity event, it is not a solution to the crisis. And that is what Connecticut needs -- a long-term dental health solution that provides access to proper care for every resident of Connecticut."
Since Connecticut became the first northeast state to host an annual Mission of Mercy dental clinic in 2008, nearly 11,000 patients have been seen at the previous six clinics (Tolland in 2008, New Haven in 2009, Middletown in 2010, Waterbury in 2011, Danbury in 2012, and Bridgeport in 2013), organizers said. More than $6 million in free dental care has been given out at the events, they added.
source: http://articles.courant.com/2014-04-25/health/hc-dental-clinic-20140425_1_mercy-free-dental-clinic-dental-care-fillings
Visit us: http://www.homeinspectionkelowna.com/
from Affinity Dental Fresno http://affinitydental.livejournal.com/1052.html
"Me and my husband had the fillings," Ghada Abdalla of Storrs said as she left the center in the late morning holding her son and grabbing for the hand of her daughter, who was toddling around, "and they had the cleaning."
She's had a toothache for months and, unable to afford dental care, she was planning on pulling the tormenting tooth, Abdalla explained. But fortunately, she said, she heard about the 7th Annual Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic (CTMOM).
"It's amazing," she said, "People here are so nice."
The clinic reached its capacity of roughly 1,100 around 2 p.m. Friday, organizers said. Doors were scheduled to reopen 6 a.m. Saturday.
The free clinic provides a full range of dental services on a first-come, first-served basis. Besides cleanings and fillings, dentists and hygienists were offering extractions, X-rays, front-tooth root-canal therapy, and temporary partial prosthetics.
"Also this year, for the first time, a special portion of the clinic is being set aside to provide dental care and prenatal dental education to expectant mothers," organizers boasted in a press release..
But no pregnant women could be seen late Thursday morning at the section set aside for them. Workers said they were disappointed that the expectant women who did show were few and far between.
Still, throngs of patients sat in 135 dental chairs behind curtains set up for privacy. In the din of dental drills, others sat on the other sides of the curtains, patiently waiting for service.
One of the approximately 1,500 volunteers took a toothbrush to the sharp white teeth of a toy fish to show an adolescent how to brush properly.
"We are thrilled to finally bring CTMOM to Hartford, and once again we cannot thank our legislative leaders and friends throughout the community enough for all of their support. They have been invaluable in helping to spotlight the oral healthcare crisis that exists in Connecticut, where hundreds of thousands of people are still without access to proper dental care. The annual CTMOM free dental clinic is our small part in helping as many people as we can with free dental services," CTMOM Co-chair Dr. Bruce Tandy said.
"It is critical to note, though, that while CTMOM is a great charity event, it is not a solution to the crisis. And that is what Connecticut needs -- a long-term dental health solution that provides access to proper care for every resident of Connecticut."
Since Connecticut became the first northeast state to host an annual Mission of Mercy dental clinic in 2008, nearly 11,000 patients have been seen at the previous six clinics (Tolland in 2008, New Haven in 2009, Middletown in 2010, Waterbury in 2011, Danbury in 2012, and Bridgeport in 2013), organizers said. More than $6 million in free dental care has been given out at the events, they added.
source: http://articles.courant.com/2014-04-25/health/hc-dental-clinic-20140425_1_mercy-free-dental-clinic-dental-care-fillings
Visit us: http://www.homeinspectionkelowna.com/
from Affinity Dental Fresno http://affinitydental.livejournal.com/1052.html
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