GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – For the 10th year, the Wisconsin Dental Association and its foundation are knocking down barriers to oral health care.
Through the Mission of Mercy event, dentists and hygienists volunteer their time to provide two days of free dental care to the Green Bay community. This year’s event began Friday at the KI Convention Center.
Dentist Eric Childs explained that there are several barriers to dental care — limited financial resources, lack of insurance coverage and even just availability.
“That’s one of the things that we’re trying to do with this is to provide information about barriers to care and education about how to improve oral health for the community,” Childs said.
The free dental care includes cleanings, fillings and extractions as well as some limited transitional partials for front teeth.
From 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Mission of Mercy will be offering the free care on a first-come, first-serve basis. Volunteers recommend showing up early, as each day is capped at 450 patients, and expecting to wait for several hours.
No insurance was necessary to be eligible, and all work is done at no charge.
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