New York State has been one of the nation’s leaders in providing free health services to residents, and a state-funded dental clinic recently supplied treatment to hundreds of individuals in the Rochester area.
According to TWC News, the New York State Dental Association (NYSDA) has launched an initiative to bring free dental care to underserved communities throughout the state. The program, which is being funded by a state grant, provides essential dental exams and treatments to those who cannot afford routine dental checkups.
Last week, the Oak Orchard Community Health Center in Brockport had nearly 100 appointments booked for people who were looking to take advantage of the free clinic. Among these patients was three-year-old Jaelynn Reynolds of Bergen, who had never even been to the dentist before this program came to Rochester.
“I really don’t have the best teeth, so it’s kinda better to get it checked out right away than it is to wait later on when things could be even worse,” said Jaelynn’s father Rob Reynolds.
About half of adults visit the dentist every six months, but many people who do not have access to affordable dental care can go several years without treatment. When this happens, dental problems can escalate to the point where emergency treatment is needed.
“Many of the patients haven’t been to a dentist in 15 or 20 years,” said Dr. Brendan Dowd, NYS Dental Association member. “For people who don’t have routine dental care, they end up going to emergency rooms and emergency rooms are not equipped to give routine dental care.”
A similar two-day dental clinic was also held in Seneca County earlier this month, in which a team of dentists provided treatment to more than 50 patients. These programs are part of a larger initiative from NYS to break down the common barriers of healthcare and enable less-fortunate residents to receive medical attention.
Earlier this month, the University of Rochester’s Eastman Institute for Oral Health announced that it received a separate grant from NYS to use a rapid screening test for HIV in three of its clinics.
Many people do not have a primary care physician to visit for HIV tests, which forces them to rely on emergency room treatment well after the virus reaches its later stages. With this new HIV test, U of R dentists can quickly swab the gums of a patient to test for the virus while simultaneously providing them with affordable dental care.
As for the free dental clinic in Brockport, Rob Reynolds received some valuable tips and tricks for maintaining oral health that could save his daughter from an emergency room visit in the future.
“The mouth looks good and just to keep brushing and more or less do more flossing because we didn’t do flossing before. We’ll probably make another appointment for her to get seen and probably come back here again,” said Reynolds.
The volunteers who provided treatment during the free clinic were wildly impressed with the turnout, and they hope that the state’s budget will continue to fund the program for years to come.
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