For the third straight year, Dr. John Pate’s Westwood Dental Group will participate in the international “Dentistry from the Heart” campaign. Last year, Pate’s team performed about $23,000 in dental work for free to 100 people in Guelph.
“When I first found out about it I thought it was a great idea,” said Pate, during a break at the 2,530 Willow Road clinic. “We were big enough to make it doable.”
Asked how it felt to help so many people by offering them free dental work, Pate said it is better than simply a good feeling.
“Everybody goes home that day feeling just pumped,” he said. “We all say, we did good today.”
The event is not until Friday, June 10th, but Westwood Dental Group is seeking sponsors to help with the effort, said Lisa Moore, who takes care of marketing for the clinic.
“We have a day of free dentistry,” said Moore. “On that day people in need come to the location. They line-up, and they have their choice of either an extraction, a filling, or a cleaning. We all volunteer our time, and everything is free.”
It is Moore’s understanding that Westwood Dental is the only clinic in the Guelph-Cambridge-Kitchener-Waterloo area that participates in “Dentistry from the Heart,” which involves hundreds of events, and hundreds of dentists, around the world.
The service is intended for those who can’t get dental care elsewhere. Moore said patients must be 18 years old or older, since there are programs already in place for kids in need of treatment. The offering is on a first come first serve basis, and the first 50 patients are guaranteed to be seen.
“It’s a great program for seniors or anyone who otherwise cannot afford treatment” she said, adding that four dentists and five dental hygienists from the staff, as well as a number of students in the field of dentistry will work on a volunteer basis.
“Some people haven’t had a cleaning in 10 years, and to come in for a free cleaning gives them a smile,” Moore said. “Some who come in are in pain. The first year we did it we had a gentleman who lined up at five o’clock in the morning. It has a lot of value for people, and we are just giving back to the community.”
The clinic would like to enlist the assistance of the broader community, to invite others to participate by donating to cover some of the costs of dental materials, which run up to several thousand dollars. Last year about $8,000 was raised in the community to help pay those costs. There were about 35 sponsors last year, and this year Kelsey’s, McDonalds, Guelph Tool and others have already been enlisted.
Information can be found on the Westwood Dental Group Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WestwoodDentalGroupGuelph/?fref=ts or at www.westwooddentalgroup.ca. Call Moore at 519-836-4650 to contribute to the effort.
“Dentistry from the Heart” is a non-profit organization that was started by Florida dentist Dr. Vincent Monticciolo in 2001. It has spread to several countries outside of North America, including New Zealand, Ireland, Australia and Puerto Rico.
Each year it provides millions of dollars in free dental work to those in need.
