Last month, Tashenia Torres went to the dentist after experiencing sharp, excruciating pain in her jaw – a result of growing wisdom teeth. But without insurance for dental care, she said the clinic wasn’t much help in planning an extraction.
“I told them, ‘I don’t have the money, I don’t even have health insurance, so how am I going to make it?’ Torres said. “They said, ‘You’ve got to get the money to make it,’ and I thought that was just unfair.”
Torres, a 31-year-old Gainesville resident, isn’t the only local resident who finds dental care unaffordable. An estimated 6 million Floridians struggle with or face barriers to accessing dental care, according to the Floridians for dental access.
Financial barriers leave many unsure of how to access the care they need.
“That’s the question: How are you going to do it if they don’t give you the essential things you need?” Torres said.
In February, Millhopper Family Dentistry and the UF College of Dentistry are hosting free dental clinics in celebration of National Children’s Dental Health Month.
These events provide the Gainesville community with access to basic dental care at no cost, targeting those who may face barriers to treatment. By making dental care accessible, both Millhopper Family Dentistry and UF aim to promote long-term oral health, according to the two clinics.
Millhopper Family Dentistry will host its free dental clinic, Care to Share, on Feb. 28 from 8 a.m. for the first 100 people in order of priority. Free dental services include fillings, extractions and cleanings, according to the Care to Share brochure.
The UF College of Dentistry will host the 11th annual Super Sealant Saturday event at the College of Dentistry on February 7th from 8:30am. until 1 p.m.
Although walk-ins are welcome, it is highly recommended that you sign up for an appointment, according to Dental School.
Be sure to share
After seeing the Care to Share event on Facebook, Torres said she plans to attend to have two teeth extracted — half of the teeth she needed are gone. He will wait for next year’s event to draw the other side, he added.
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Torres plans to arrive as early as 1 a.m. on the day of the event to secure a spot. However, she said she was shocked to hear that some prospective patients will be camping the day before.
Free care doesn’t completely resolve Torres’ concerns. She said she worries about what kind of medication she will be given, whether she will need to bring someone with her and how long she will be out of work.
“I’m a little worried because they told me I’m going to have to be out of work for the next two days, and that’s scary,” Torres said. “I live with people – we have to put food on the table.”
Jessica McMillan, 42-year-old office manager at Millhopper Family Dentistry, said the free clinic initiative began in 2010 as a response to patients who could not afford routine dental care.
“We wanted to be able to do something to give back,” McMillan said.
McMillan has worked at Millhopper Family Dentistry since 2002 and said she has noticed a difference in the types of services requested over the years. Early on, he said, many patients requested extraction services. But over the years, more people started asking for fillings and cleanings.
“For us, it says we’re helping and what we’re doing — that people need fewer extractions, where the tooth can’t be restored, and they’re moving to where they just need fillings or even a cleaning,” McMillan said. “We’ve noticed it and we think it’s awesome.”
To make the event possible, McMillan said Millhopper Family Dentistry receives sponsorships and works with former employees. About 75 volunteers, former and current staff are on board to accommodate the high number of patients, he said.
People line up the day before the event to secure a spot, he added, and volunteers will hand out numbers to the first 100 people until they’re gone.
Alecia McDonald, the 46-year-old owner of Millhopper Family Dentistry, said the initiative was started for those who may have sought dental care but were unable to receive it due to eligibility restrictions, such as lack of health insurance.
“We have a big office here in town, and we thought, ‘What better way to give back than to use our office?'” McDonald said. “It was a fun way for us to get together with experts in town and provide work to people with no real qualifications — just ‘Hey, we’re here. If you’re willing to wait, we’re willing to take good care of you.’
One of the most rewarding aspects, he added, was working with other dental specialists and general practice offices.
“It was really cool to be a leader in volunteering,” McDonald said. “Seeing people get fired up to help the community and go about their day — it’s just a fun camaraderie.”
Her experiences hosting the annual event are just as important on a personal level, she added.
“It’s just a good feeling to be able to use your education and your knowledge and work with your staff to provide good service to the Gainesville community,” he said.
Super Sealant Saturday
Olga Ensz, a 36-year-old UF clinical associate professor and director of community outreach in the College of Dentistry, said dental students started the initiative.
Ensz teaches a course for dental students in the College of Dentistry that includes community-based public health rotations. Students are able to provide schools and community centers with preventive dental services under faculty supervision.
“There was one dental student after he attended that event who was really inspired and said, ‘I want to do more for the kids in our community and something on Saturday,'” Ensz said.
The initiative was founded by dental students Stephen Obeng and Patrick Fitzgerald in 2015, according to the Dental School.
Nearly 200 volunteers help the college host the event, Ensz said. Since the initiative began, the event has served more than 1,100 children, he added.
The primary goal of the event is to provide accessible dental care and promote awareness through a family-friendly way, adding a carnival element, he said. Last year’s theme was ‘Frozen’. This year will be “Toy Story”, he added.
About 40% of the population experiences fear or anxiety about the dentist, according to The Harvard Journal.
“It’s to help make preventive dental services more accessible for kids,” Ensz said. “It’s also about making it a really positive experience, so we always have a fun theme.”
The event allows dental students to gain hands-on experiences while addressing local needs, he said. By hosting it on Saturdays, it’s more accessible for parents who work full-time or have busy schedules, she added.
Contact Lily Hartzema at lhartzema@alligator.org. Follow her on X @lilyhartzema.
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