By Miriam King
Posted: June 1, 2011 |
|
 |
By 6 a.m. on May 27, patients were already lined up in the entrance to 76 Holland St. West, where Bradford Family Dentistry has its offices.
They were there to participate in Dentistry From The Heart - an event that provides basic cleanings, fillings or extractions, free of charge.
It was the first time that Dr. Jesse Chai and his team at Bradford Family Dentistry have participated in Dentistry From The Heart. |
Submitted photo From left, Sarah New, Christina Scott,
Karine Chai, Alice Chai, Stephan Bevan, Dr. Jesse Chai, Cheryl Strong, Laurissa Lovic, Damira Stipanov, Suada
Lovic, Antonella |
The program had its start in the U.S., launched by Dr. Vincent Monticciolo in 2001 as a means of giving back to the community, by providing dental care services to persons on fixed incomes, social assistance, or without a dental plan. |
Since that date, Dentistry From The Heart has helped more than 50,000 patients in the U.S. and Canada, with participating dentists donating over $10 million in free services.
Dr. Chai learned of Dentistry From The Heart while attending a course. "There was a dentist talking about this... It seemed like a very worthwhile cause."
He and his staff - and even some patients - volunteered their time, on May 27. By the end of the day, at 6 p.m., the team had seen 60 patients, and contributed an estimated $13,000 in free dental care.
"A lot of people don't have the insurance, and can't afford to have the dental work done," Dr. Chai explained. "It all comes down to wanting to provide something greater to my community. The service provided by Dentistry From The Heart helps more than just a patient's teeth - it gives them a renewed reason to smile!"
"It was quite a busy day, and we all felt great about how the day went.... Hope to do it again next year!"
Dr. Chai thanked his staff, volunteers, suppliers Acmedent, Henry Schein and Butler, for donating supplies; Practice marketers for the promotional flyers and postcards, and Adventure Capitalism for web services. "I also want to thank our wonderful patients for their support for this cause and their encouragement, as well as all the patients who came out for the event, which helped make it such a big success!"
|
