Iowa Mission of Mercy brings free dental care to Waterloo
By Andrew Wind, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The
But her keys had been accidentally locked in her car and she didn't have any money to get it open. Eventually, Beck convinced a sympathetic dispatcher at a towing company to send someone out to do it at no charge.
After she arrived, a dental impression was made inside her mouth so the false teeth could be created. Beck just had to wait until the new teeth could be fitted. She spent her time crocheting a blanket and thanking the volunteers that regularly passed by her seat.
"Everybody here who's volunteering, they're a blessing from God," said Beck. "It's my birthday today. I'm going to leave with my smile."
The clinic, held Friday and Saturday, was sponsored by the
About 200 dentists and 200 dental support personnel, all of whom volunteered their time, staffed the event. Among those were dental and dental-assisting students from various colleges and universities. A large number of other volunteers without a dental background helped direct people as they waited for a wide range of procedures.
"We have dentists that come from all over the state and they follow us for our Mission of Mercy," said
This was the seventh year the annual clinic has been held. In 2008, the inaugural year, it also took place in
"We came back to
She noted that, besides volunteers, area businesses stepped up to help with resources like providing food for the clients, who typically had to wait for hours before receiving services.
The clinic opened up at
"I was here 6 o'clock (Thursday) night and I was number 11 in the door," said
"Today, I got some extractions done, a root canal and a partial plate," he said, while waiting for the false teeth to be fitted into his mouth. Dental problems have long been a heavy financial burden for him. He attended the first
"I'm on
She had a cavity filled in December, and soon after the tooth broke. By early afternoon Friday, she had been waiting five hours and was close to getting the damage repaired. "It's a long wait, but I think it's going to be well worth it," said Nielsen.
"I just never got around to it, never felt like I had enough money," said the retired
"We're a not-for-profit insurance company. Our mission is to provide the health and the smiles for Iowans," he said. "A lot of these people kind of fall through the cracks a little bit."
He added, "It may seem like we're working in dentistry here, but part of the mission is changing people's lives."
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