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 Jacqueline Hough | The Daily Herald Dr. Jinesh Patel, left, a dentist from Rocky Mount, and Dental Assistant Kristin Spain work on a patient during the North Carolina Missions of Mercy Dental Clinic Friday afternoon. |
The North Carolina Missions of Mercy (NC MOM) Dental Clinic had more than 200 patients Friday. And hundreds more were seen Saturday. The clinic was sponsored by the North Carolina Dental Society with dental cleanings, fillings and extractions, along with partial and denture repairs.
Weldon Police Officer Alan Exum, who is assigned to the campus police at HCC, said he gave the first ticket for the clinic Thursday afternoon at 6 p.m. Tickets were given out so people didn’t have to wait in the cold before the clinic opened Friday at 6 a.m.
“When I left at 11:30 p.m., I had given out 10 tickets,” Exum said. By the time he returned at 4:45 a.m., 70 people were waiting in line.
“It went very well,” Exum said about their system. “I think the people at registration did a wonderful job.”
Mary L. Braswell came from Scotland Neck to stand in line before 8 a.m. Friday in order to have some of her teeth pulled.
“But they told me they didn’t need to be pulled, so I had them cleaned,” she said with a smile.
Braswell thought the clinic and what NC MOM was doing was “real nice.”
“They did a nice job on my teeth,” she added. “I hope God will bless them to keep on doing it.”
Jennifer Pearson, a dental hygiene student at HCC helping to assist in fillings and restorations, said she heard comments like Braswell’s throughout the day. “The patients have been understanding of the time and very thankful,” she said.
Ruby Vincent Ward, an employee at HCC, was one of many persons volunteering at the event.
“I think the event is very helpful for this community,” she said. “So many people don’t have insurance and they walk around in pain taking aspirin or Tylenol. It gives them an opportunity to walk around pain free.”
The fact people waited in line in the cold didn’t go unnoticed by Ward. “It is a needed service,” she said. “People waited three to four hours in line and get inside and not complain.”
Dr. Bill Blaylock, director of NC MOM and consulting dentist for the dental hygiene program at HCC, said the portable free dental program provides free dental services to adults in financial need with few or no other options throughout the state several times a year.
“Overall, it’s going well,” he said. “We had a good response from the community. The college has been outstanding. They have been behind the program from day one.”
“We want to come back year after year,” Blaylock said. “And as the word gets out, there will be more patients and practitioners which will grow this site more and more.
Dr. Jinesh Patel, a dentist from Rocky Mount, and Dental Assistant Kristin Spain worked on several patients.
“Everything has been well organized,” Patel said. “All of the patients have been very appreciative. We have been able to help a lot of people get out of pain and that’s what it is about.”
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