Video: Area Dentists Donate Time and Services to Brighten Smiles in North Mississippi

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NEW ALBANY, Miss. (WCBI) -The ever increasing cost of health care and insurance means many people are doing without regular dental checkups and treatment. As WCBI’s Allie Martin reports, a New Albany dental clinic practice provided free services Friday as a way of giving back.

Janice McCarter has needed fillings for awhile, but she’s on disability and Medicaid doesn’t cover the service.

So, McCarter made her way early Friday to “Rowan Family Dentistry.” For the second year in a row, the clinic is providing free dental care.

“It’s called Dentistry from the Heart.”

The one day initiative began 14 years ago in Florida and is now a nationwide practice. Free extractions, cleanings and fillings are offered on a first come, first serve basis.

“These are some wonderful people with great hearts, and it’s an honor to know them, but it’s a great blessing to have this opportunity to get this kind of healthcare. It’s not available anywhere else.”

It takes a lot of advance planning to organize the event, but the dentists know they are providing a much needed service.

“You can see the joy in everybody’s eyes when you do it, they’re excited.”

This year, there’s another aspect to the outreach and it deals with a patient’s spiritual health.

“We’ve actually invited the Gideons to come and we have our local churches participating, we’re just trying to use it somehow, someway to touch someone’s life.”

Rowan Family Dentistry staff members hope the dental care and their volunteer hours for an outreach service continue to make a difference in the community. In New Albany, I’m Allie Martin WCBI News.

Dentistry From the Heart takes place annually in more than 300 communities. More than 80 thousand people have been served nationwide.