Free Dental Clinic and Care Watch

Free dental clinic worth smiling over

Anyone and everyone who helped organize last week’s free day of care at the Jordan Valley Community Dental Clinic deserves a note of thanks.

The free clinic, even though it lasted just a single workday, helped put a dent in the rising costs of emergency room care. Every desperate, pained person treated by these volunteers — the clinic was able to handle 150 — could have instead ended up in an ER, creating costs that are eventually borne by ratepayers in the region.

More: http://www.news-leader.com/article/…

Kids offered free dental work

More than 60 children living at Martha’s Village & Kitchen received free dental care last week, thanks to the Smile Factory Foundation.

The children, and some adults, took turns visiting the Smile Factory mobile unit parked outside the shelter. It was staffed with a rotating team of dentists, dental assistants and hygienists.

“The problem is, dentistry is very cost-prohibitive,” said Eve Fromberg, executive director of the Smile Factory Foundation. She said that’s why so many children often go without ever having seen a dentist, which can contribute to overall health issues.

More: http://www.mydesert.com/article/…

Dentist restored her smile, faith in people

The recipient of this week’s Ben’s Bell is Gordon Roediger, a dentist who truly gave one Tucsonan a reason to smile.

Dr. Roediger was nominated by Melissa Ward, who wanted to honor the man who fixed her extensive dental problems for free.

“People like him help me realize that things aren’t always ‘bah humbug,’ ” she said. “Things like this restore your faith in people.”

More: http://www.azstarnet.com/…