Dental practice offers free clinic for uninsured people
Saturday event begins with registration at 6 a.m.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
More like this
Dental clinic finds its target patients
Free dental care something to smile about
Local group's waiting list for free dental care to shrink
If you go
• Who: Uninsured children and adults in need of dental care.
• What: Free dental care, including extractions, fillings and cleanings.
• When: 6 a.m. registration, 8 a.m. exams begin on Saturday. Patients seen on first come, first served basis.
• Where: Gillespie Dentistry, 13200 S.E. McGillivray Blvd., in Vancouver.
• More information: 360-892-6132 or Gillespie Dentistry.
Smiles are the only payment Gillespie Dentistry will accept for providing dental care this weekend.
The Vancouver dental office is partnering with a national nonprofit to provide free dental care to Clark County residents this Saturday.
For eight hours, Dr. Bradley Gillespie will open his office doors and provide dental care to those with pain or who have gone years without an exam or cleaning. Six local dentists will volunteer their time to perform the extractions, fillings and cleanings, said Ryan Davis, Gillespie Dentistry office administrator.
“We’re going to try and get as many done as possible,” Davis said.
The event is open to all adults and children without dental insurance or the means to pay for dental care. The focus is on procedures that are an immediate necessity for patients, Davis said.
Gillespie Dentistry will begin event registration at 6 a.m. Saturday. At 8 a.m., dentists will begin seeing patients. Patients will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis until about 4 p.m., Davis said.
Organizers expect to treat 150 to 200 patients during the eight-hour free clinic.
Gillespie Dentistry is partnering with the nonprofit Dentistry From The Heart to provide the services. Various dental offices across the country, including some in Portland, have held Dentistry From The Heart clinics. But this weekend’s clinic is the nonprofit’s first event in Clark County, Davis said.
Other events have attracted hundreds of people, many camping out the night before the event to ensure a spot in the dentist’s chair, Davis said.
Organizers at Gillespie Dentistry are urging people to dress for the weather, bring snacks and be prepared to wait. Those who are not in the dentist’s chair will have to wait outside because the office isn’t big enough to accommodate everyone, Davis said.
While the dentists won’t likely be able to treat everyone who shows up Saturday, Davis said staff will help as many people as possible.
“I wish we could see everybody,” he said.
Marissa Harshman: http://twitter.com/col_health; http://facebook.com/reporterharshman; marissa.harshman@columbian.com; 360-735-4546.
Rate this
You must be logged in to rate this.
Current Rating : Nobody has rated this article yet.
Search Alerts
Receive updates from us on people or topics that interest you. (What's this?)
Sign up to receive email and/or text alerts from us whenever someone or something of interest appears on columbian.com. For example, if you follow the Blazers, you could enter LaMarcus Aldridge and we'd send you a link to our stories whenever he is mentioned in them. You just enter the person's name or other search terms, i.e., light rail or Vancouver crime, and then click Submit to sign up to receive updates. Note: Keep in mind that carrier charges may apply for SMS updates.
Choose a term below or enter in your own for you to automatically receive alerts when we post something new.
