Our recent work with the Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic impacts those in the area who are in need of dental care. See how your generous donations are making an immediate impact in our communities.
Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic
Cashiers, North Carolina
This summer, Hope Smiles Together partnered with the Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic. I was able to contact Director Kristen Gentry a fellow Wake Forest student (alumna). She shared about the Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic’s mission and future. The Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic is in Cashiers, North Carolina and serves the underserved in Transylvania, Jackson, Macon, Haywood and Swain Counties (rural Western North Carolina). The clinic delivers high-quality emergency, restorative and preventative dental care to people who cannot otherwise afford these critically needed services. The clinic is open five days/week with six operatories. They currently have twenty-five dentists and three hygienist volunteers. The clinic addresses all specialties from general dentistry, oral surgery, endodontics, and periodontics. They currently are treating five-seven hundred patients yearly treating all aspects of dental care with the hopes of hiring a lead dentist to run their prosthodontics program in 2027. Currently, the East Carolina School of Dental Medicine sends student volunteers with a preceptor monthly to work in the clinic and Kristen shared that the clinic is working with Lincoln Memorial College of Dental Medicine to begin a preceptor relationship with their dental students. Kristen is very excited about the future of the Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic and its impact of the Western North Carolina population. She said the clinic’s goal is “Patients to smile without shame”.
Garrett
This is a story shared on the Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic website which speaks to the goals that Hope Smiles Together is aiming to assist. My hope is to partner with other dental organizations and professionals to assist those in need by starting with their dental health and hoping to contribute to their overall health and situation.
“When Logan first came to our Clinic, he was in a lot of pain and ashamed of his smile. He had a mouthful of broken and decayed teeth as a result of drug addiction. Having successfully completed a rehabilitation program for his addiction, Logan’s final step to renewed health was our Clinic. He was so nervous when we started treatment. To make him laugh, Dr. McDonald and I presented him with a hammer and a drill and remarked, “Let’s begin!” Logan thought it was so funny! He was at ease with us. We are so proud of Logan! He states, “Thank you for everything you have done for me. You have given me back my smile, my confidence, my life. March 3rd makes four years clean.”
Other Pictures from Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic:
