Free dental clinic planned for April in S.F.
Volunteer dentists and doctors will be available to provide care to anyone who walks in the doors during a two-day clinic set for April in Santa Fe.
The New Mexico Mission of Mercy, a 100-chair dental and medical clinic organized by the New Mexico Dental Association Foundation, will be free and open to the public for two days beginning at 5:15 a.m. April 26 at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.
“If you are willing to stand in line, we will provide services,” a spokeswoman for the foundation wrote in an email.
Adults and children who lack access to dental care can attend the clinic to receive treatment,
Dr. Elizabeth Prishkulnik, left, performs a filling on a 15-yearold patient with Tanya Roybal’s assistance at a free dental clinic in 2016 at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. “no questions asked,” according to a webpage created for the event. The clinic will accept walk-in patients until capacity is reached.
Since 2010, the foundation has run similar clinics in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Farmington and Rio Rancho, providing more than $9 million in free treatment to more than 11,000 patients, according to the foundation’s spokeswoman.
During past events, volunteer dentists and other medical professionals have performed root canals, cavity fillings, cleanings, extractions and crowns for patients, according to a promotional video for the event.
The event will require the work of 1,000 volunteers, the video states, from dentists, dental hygienists and physicians to community volunteers. The foundation is also seeking financial sponsorships and in-kind donations.
A volunteer at a recent clinic, Cedrick Burke said in a video he has seen people’s lives changed during the clinic, after receiving dental care that allows them to confidently interview for a job or gain relief from pain that has ailed them for potentially years.
“For me, this is a very rewarding experience that’s easy to take for granted,” Burke said. “Dental care, which is inaccessible to so many.”
Dental care is out of reach for many New Mexicans, including children.
The state Department of Health, in a recent publication, estimated more than 30% of toddlers in the state did not visit a dentist in 2015 or 2016, the last years for which the department has data.