A Codrington-based charitable organization is setting up shop at a dental clinic in Brighton later this month to provide a Free Dental Day for those who can’t afford dental work.
Starting at 7:30 a.m. at the Brighton Dental Centre on Saturday, Nov. 27, volunteers from Gift from the Heart — including Dr. Shikhar Saxena — will provide 25 Brightonians with urgent dental care. There are no walk-ins and appointments must be booked.
“The Brighton Dental Centre has offered their space for the day, so we can go in with our volunteers who are dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants to provide the care that is needed for so many people who are meeting really hard times right now, either financial or mobility barriers and have not had help with their oral health care in many, many years,” said Bev Woods, founder and president of Gift from the Heart.
“Our goal is to provide at least 25 people with life-changing procedures that day. We offer either a free extraction, a filling to be done and there are some free dental hygiene visits that day as well.”
Those people in pain will be given precedence for dental care on Nov. 27, said Woods. All who are interested must book appointments via email at info@giftfromtheheart.ca.
Woods is grateful to the many dental industry volunteers who lend their time and expertise for the day to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.
“We have an amazing, amazing group of dental surgeons, dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants who will be welcoming our guests that day and helping them with their needs as well as follow-up care.”
The need among the area’s less fortunate for oral health care, said Woods, has always been great, but the global COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the need for dental care as many have lost dental benefits and have nowhere else to turn for urgent care.
Woods founded the non-profit Gift from the Heart charity 15 years ago after a 40-year career in the dental industry. The motto of the organization is ‘Changing lives…one smile at a time’ and that’s just what it has been doing. According to Gift from the Heart’s website, giftfromtheheart.ca, the organization has helped 12,500 people and provided $1.4 million worth of services for free.
This year, the charity was gifted a decommissioned ambulance from Northumberland County, which was converted into a preventative dental care centre. Upon travelling around to food banks, shelters throughout the area doing oral wellness checks, oral cancer screening, and dental hygiene services, she’s witnessed first-hand the sheer volume of people needing vital dental services.
“I’m overwhelmed by the need that’s out there. So many businesses have folded in the past 18 months, people have been without dental insurance plans, people have been wearing masks constantly which really proliferates the bacteria and growth inside our mouths,” said Woods. “There are no dental plans and no money left at the end of the day. People are really in a lot of discomfort from disease happening in their mouth whether it be dental disease, or dental decay or gum disease and there’s just no help for them.”
Since September, the Gift from the Heart charity has provided Free Dental Days in Belleville, Quebec and in Brighton for Northumberland residents. As a non-profit organization, Gift from the Heart relies solely on donations to help people in need.
“All this is done just by asking for donations,” said Woods. “If we don’t have donations as a volunteer (organization) we don’t operate. We don’t have employees and we don’t get government assistance for this type of health care.”
To donate to Gift From the Heart, log on to giftfromtheheart.ca.
