A free dental clinic will be offered on Friday, June 19, and Saturday, June 20, in Wyandotte County.
Sponsored by the Reola Grant Center, Victory Dodge and Victory Ford, the clinic will be staffed by volunteer dentists and dental staff through the PDS Serve Foundation and volunteers from the Smile Generation Network, said Janice Witt, CEO of the Reola Grant Center. These volunteers travel the country, stopping at challenged urban and rural areas.
The free clinic is by advance appointment only, she said. Those interested in the free dental clinic must call 816-942-0033, identify themselves as a Reola Grant Center client, and make an appointment. There will be no walk-in appointments.
Volunteers with a dentist’s office are making the appointments, and those calling will be asked for a little information about their health history, Witt said. The Reola Grant Center is not handling the appointment reservations.
The Mobile Dental Clinic, a vehicle that travels from town to town, will be in the parking lot of Victory Dodge, 6650 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan., from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 19.
It will be in the parking lot of the Victory Ford dealership at 715 S. 130th St., Bonner Springs, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 20. Both dealerships also have locations for the Reola Grant Center.
The Reola Grant Center currently provides food assistance to the needy through a food pantry, and there are plans to expand the center in the future to include other services, such as clothes assistance, Witt said.
Witt is aware that some residents don’t have dental insurance or can’t afford dental care. Studies have shown Wyandotte County is higher than the national average in the number of people who need dental care, she said.
“Good dental care is the basis for good nutrition,” Witt said. “If they have poor dental care and poor dental health, they can’t eat well. We are trying to handle the basics. We give them good food, make sure they have healthy teeth to eat with, and try to build from there. We are trying to tackle the cycle of poverty.”
Witt said there are only 30 slots available each day for dental appointments, and these will go to the first ones who register. While the clinic is designed to help those who need help, there are no income qualifications on it.
She said the free clinic will include dental examinations, X-rays, cleanings, fillings, extractions, and one-day crowns. It will not include denture work. Everything will be done in one day, she said.
She said no one will be selling anything to the clients at this event.