JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Mission of Mercy free dental clinic provided over 5,000 dental procedures to 2,900 patients on Friday and Saturday. The Florida Dental Association estimates Friday's serviced were valued at $2.7 million.
Services on Saturday were limited to examinations, fillings, extractions, root canal therapy, children's dental care and professional dental cleanings.
Organizers also provided fliers with options for other resources.
Those who couldn't attend were directed to the Dental Association's Care Resource Guide. The FDA also gave out flyers with the list of low-cost dental care options in northeast Florida.
People in need of dental work began lining up Wednesday for the event, which is bringing together hundreds of dental and non-dental professionals to fix the smiles of Jacksonville-area residents who can’t otherwise afford it.
"I’ve waited for this all my life. Oh my God, I can’t believe it," said Wanda George after getting out of Dr. Richard Caven's dental chair.
When first evaluated, the mother of four who hadn't seen a dentist in two years, was told her teeth were probably too far gone to save. But CThe last day of final exams at UNF is Friday.
Caven said that hearing that Wanda George was about to get married in three months made work extra hard to save her teeth.
"That definitely makes me say, ‘Yeah, we’ve got to get this one right,'" Caven said. “That’s when we know we have success ... when the patient is happy with the way it looks."
Dr. Roger Robinson, one of the event's organizers, said there was no shortage of volunteers at the Jacksonville event..
“A lot of them are doing this because they want to provide free dental care to the community,” Robinson said.
To make sure they can see as many people as possible, more than 2,400 volunteers were at the convention center. Robinson said many of them came from all over the state and even paid for their own travel and accommodations because this is something they truly believe in.
“Of course, the love of what we do as dentists, we want to make sure we are helping those who are underserved. So we’re putting on this event for that need,” Robinson said.
Steve Cochran, a pediatric dentist in Jacksonville, treated children at the event.
"We're just going to try to provide some excellent pediatric care for those kids who have needs," Cochran said. "There are a lot of people out there who need help, and we want to provide the care that they deserve."
Preparations to transform thousands of square feet of exhibit space into multiple dental workstations began Wednesday evening as two tractor-trailers pulled into the loading docks at the convention center. Each trailer carried more than $600,000 worth of equipment needed to perform cleanings, X-rays, fillings, extractions and root canals. In some cases, patients may receive partial acrylic dentures.
The transformation of the convention center continued Thursday as hundreds of people began to line up for the first-come, first-served event. Those people were allowed to come inside for prescreening. Doors will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
There is no eligibility requirement and no registration is required. Although people are accepted from all over, a valid form of government-issued photo identification is necessary to get treatment.
Patients expressing gratitude
Two of those who will be in line to get help are Kim Hrabar and his wife, Romona.
“I drove up here. My wife is in a lot of pain because of one of her teeth, and I’ve got some issues of my own,” Hrabar said.
Hrabar said he and his wife made the hour-and-a-half drive from Waycross, Georgia, to take advantage of the free dental care offered through this event.
Richard Kwasniewski even traveled from Putnam County.
"I came over Great White Mountains to get here. I really did. I've wanted to do this for a long time. And this is a blessing. Everybody in there has a spot in heaven," Kwasniewski said. "I've always wanted to get it done, (and) couldn't. This is a blessing. Whoever thought of this, I can't thank them enough."
Albert Cooks was also among the hundreds of people who showed up a day early.
"That's very important, the community coming together to help out the unfortunate who can't afford health care and dental care," said Albert Dudley. "It means a great deal to me for these nice people to come out and provide their services for free."
Every person News4Jax spoke with had a compelling story or need -- and gratitude.
"I totally appreciate the opportunity," Saprina Cooks said. "I'm totally grateful."
Patient Ted Watson says, “I’m trying to better myself and this is a start, a new beginning.”
Through Mission of Mercy, Watson’s new beginning will include landing a new job.
He says, “You go into a store, you know. You walk up to the counter and people look at you. Or, you apply for a job and people don’t want to give it to you because of the way you look. They think drug addict or alcoholic.”
Watson says his teeth are bad because he didn’t take care of himself when he was younger.
Behind the (dentist) mask
Dr. Fred Costello was one of the dentists behind the magic at Mission of Mercy Friday.
"If everyone would give something to their neighbor because they love their neighbor and not because they have to, then our community is a better place. And I think that’s what this is all about," Costello said.
Costello, a father of three, was just one of hundreds of dentists who gave their time at the event Friday. Many of them also double as fathers, mothers and even state representatives.
"We've got to make it so that people have access to health care. I found a primary care bill that didn't make it through the Senate, it made it through the House. And I hope to work on that from the federal government," Costello said.
Costello said he hopes to see more care like this all over the state.