Last month, Tashenia Torres went to the dentist after experiencing sharp, excruciating pain in her jaw — a result of the growth of her wisdom teeth. Still, without insurance to afford dental care, she said the clinic wasn’t much help in scheduling an extraction.
“I told them, ‘I don’t have the money, I don’t even have health insurance, so how can I take it out?’” Torres said. “They said, ‘You need to get the money in order to get it taken out,’ and I thought that was just unfair.”
Torres, a 31-year-old Gainesville resident, isn’t the only local who finds dental care inaccessible. An estimated 6 million Floridians struggle or face barriers accessing dental care, according to the Floridians for Dental Access.
Financial barriers leave many unsure how to access the care they need.
“That’s the question: How do you go about it if they don’t provide the necessary things that you need?” Torres said.
In February, Millhopper Family Dentistry and the UF College of Dentistry are hosting free dental clinics to celebrate National Children's Dental Health Month.
These events provide the Gainesville community access to essential dental care at no cost, targeting those who might face barriers to treatment. By making dental care accessible, both Millhopper Family Dentistry and UF aim to promote long-term oral health, according to the two clinics.
Millhopper Family Dentistry will host its free dental clinic, Care to Share, Feb. 28 beginning at 8 a.m. for the first 100 people on a first-come, first-served basis. Free dental services include fillings, extractions and cleanings, according to the Care to Share flyer.
The UF College of Dentistry will host its 11th annual Super Sealant Saturday event at the College of Dentistry Feb. 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will offer free dental exams, sealants and fluoride varnishes to children ages 1 to 17, along with educational activities designed to promote oral health.
Though walk-ins are welcome, it’s highly recommended to sign up for an appointment, according to the College of Dentistry.
Care to Share
After seeing the Care to Share event on Facebook, Torres said she plans to attend to get two teeth extracted — half of the teeth she needs gone. She’ll wait for next year’s event to get the other side extracted, she added.
Torres plans to arrive as early as 1 a.m. on the day of the event to secure a spot. Still, she said she was shocked to hear some prospective patients will camp out the day before.
The free care doesn’t entirely resolve Torres’ worries. She said she’s concerned about what type of medicine she will be given, whether she will need to bring someone with her and how long she will be out of work.
“I’m a bit anxious because I was told that I will have to be out of work for the next couple of days, and that is scary,” Torres said. “I live with people — we need to put food on the table.”
Jessica McMillan, a 42-year-old office administrator at Millhopper Family Dentistry, said the free clinic initiative began in 2010 in response to patients who couldn’t afford routine dental care.
“We wanted to be able to do something to give back,” McMillan said.
McMillan has worked at Millhopper Family Dentistry since 2002 and said she notices the difference in the types of services requested along the years. Early on, she said, many patients requested extraction services. But over the years, more have begun requesting fillings and cleanings.
“To us, it says we’re helping and what we’re doing — that people are needing less extractions, where the tooth is not restorable, and they’re moving to where they just need some fillings or even just cleaning,” McMillan said. “We have noticed that, and we think that that is awesome.”
To make the event possible, McMillan said Millhopper Family Dentistry receives sponsorships and partners with former employees. About 75 volunteers, former and current staff participate to accommodate the high number of patients, she said.
People line up the day before the event to secure a spot, she added, and volunteers will pass out numbers to the first 100 people until they’re gone.
Alecia McDonald, the 46-year-old owner of Millhopper Family Dentistry, said the initiative began for those who may have sought dental care but were unable to receive it due to qualification restrictions, like not having health insurance.
“We have a large office here in town, and we thought, ‘What better way to give back than to utilize our office?’” McDonald said. “It was a fun way for us to get together with specialists in town and provide work for people with no real qualifications — just kind of, ‘Hey, we’re here. If you’re willing to wait, we’re willing to take good care of you.’”
One of the most rewarding aspects, she added, has been collaborating with other dental specialists and general practice offices.
“It’s been really neat to be a leader in volunteerism,” McDonald said. “Seeing people fired up about helping the community and giving up their day — it’s just a fun camaraderie thing.”
Her experiences hosting the annual event are equally meaningful on a personal level, she added.
“It’s just a good feeling to be able to use your training and your knowledge and work together with your staff to provide a good service for the Gainesville community,” she said.
Super Sealant Saturday
Olga Ensz, a 36-year-old UF clinical associate professor and director of community-based outreach at the College of Dentistry, said dental students started up the initiative.
Ensz teaches a course for dental students in the College of Dentistry that involves community-based public health rotations. Students are able to provide schools and community centers with preventative dental services under faculty supervision.
“There was a dental student, after attending that event, that was really inspired and said, ‘I want to do more for kids in our community and something on a Saturday,’” Ensz said.
The initiative was co-founded by dental students Stephen Obeng and Patrick Fitzgerald in 2015, according to the College of Dentistry.
Close to 200 volunteers help the college host the event, Ensz said. Since the initiative began, the event has served over 1,100 children, she added.
The primary goal of the event is to provide accessible dental care and promote awareness through a family-friendly manner by adding a carnival component, she said. Last year’s theme was “Frozen”; this year’s will be “Toy Story,” she added.
Approximately 40% of the population experiences fear or anxiety of the dentist, according to The Harvard Gazette.
“It’s to help make preventative dental services more accessible for kids,” Ensz said. “It’s also to make it a really positive experience, which is why we always have a fun theme.”
The event allows dental students to gain hands-on experiences while addressing local needs, she said. By hosting it on Saturdays, it’s more accessible for parents who work full time or have busy schedules, she added.
Contact Lily Hartzema at lhartzema@alligator.org. Follow her on X @lilyhartzema.
