MCFD was proud to serve with 1000 other volunteers to provide much needed dental care to those that needed it, here in Charlotte,NC! Read below and article that was in the Charlotte Observer!
Late Saturday afternoon, a small but energetic round of applause erupted at the Charlotte Convention Center as volunteers seated the last patient at a free dental clinic.
The person was the last of 2,700 who poured into the convention center seeking help from the N.C. Dental Society's clinic for low-income and uninsured patients.
It proved to be the largest free dental clinic ever held by N.C. Missions of Mercy, the nonprofit that ran the event.
Organizers estimated that about 2,000 people who qualified received a total of more than $1 million worth of care, said Mark Schmidtke, ambassador and co-director of community volunteers. The clinic began Friday morning and ended 36 hours later.
Many people had camped out overnight at the convention center, and around 5:30 a.m. Friday organizers realized they were at capacity. They were forced to turn away hundreds.
About five hours later, they determined they could help about 500 more people, Schmidtke said. Then doors were closed again around 11 a.m. Saturday.
The whir of drills continued into the evening Saturday.
Eric Dunlap shook hands with the dentist who had just given him a colored filling for a chipped tooth and then removed another tooth.
"Thank you, sir, once again," he told the dentist.
The 35-year-old from Charlotte said he came Friday but was turned away because of the crowd. He returned at 4:30 a.m. Saturday and about 12 hours later was on his way out the door.
He said he had checked into other resources to get the dental care he needed, but he was met with long waiting lists.
"It was major work I needed done," Dunlap said. "I didn't want to go without."
Clinic co-chair Dr. Evan Miller of Charlotte said the clinic's patients consisted of a mix of people across all ages and races.
Dentists saw many patients whose dental issues were caused by recent neglect.
"Hard times affect all people," he said. "You see the effects of the current economy on the people here."
Dr. Ken Owen, a Charlotte orthodontist working at the clinic, guessed that more than 50 root canals were performed over the weekend. He said the most common procedure was extracting teeth, some of which may have been infected.
"The mouth is the gateway to the body," Owen said. "What goes on in the mouth affects the rest of the body."
They also gave fillings, crafted partial dentures and removed wisdom teeth.
More than 1,000 volunteers, including dentists, oral surgeons, dental hygienists and community members, showed up to help.
The nonprofit's next clinic may have even more volunteers, explained Schmidtke as he held several pieces of papers with scribbled names and phone numbers.
They were the names of grateful patients pledging their services to help.
Dunlap said he will soon start classes at Central Piedmont Community College to pursue a career in heating and cooling.
A major part of his job will be customer service, he said.
"I've been ashamed to really smile for a couple years now," he said, touching his numbed right cheek. "This is really going to improve my confidence. It's what I really needed."
Read more:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/08/21/2542529/free-dental-clinic-treats-about.html#storylink=misearch#ixzz1VlRlgmWt
What an awesome day helping those who really need it!
