CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In October, N.C. Missions of Mercy aims to treat as many as 1,500 adults from across the Charlotte region who have no access to dental care, during the state’s largest free dental clinic.

Thanks to hundreds of volunteers, the clinic will operate more than 100 dental chairs for 12 hours for two consecutive days, October 18-19, at Bojangles’ Coliseum. Patients must be 18 or older and can have teeth cleaned, cavities filled, teeth extracted, root canals and other problems addressed. A limited number of partial dentures will also be provided. Clinic doors open at 5 a.m., Friday, October 18.

“This is our fifth time hosting the clinic in Charlotte and our success is entirely due to the generosity ofpeople who give their time and financial support to help people in pain and in need,” said Scott Davenport, a Charlotte dentist and clinic chairman. “It’s important for volunteers to sign up today so we can make the most of every clinic hour.”

The Charlotte clinic is named in honor of the late Dr. Kenneth D. Owen, a Charlotte orthodontist who founded and served as director of the clinic officially known as the NCMOM-Kenneth D. Owen-Charlotte Clinic.

The clinic is made possible through the generosity of numerous individuals and organizations including the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, Atrium Health Foundation, Leon Levine Foundation, Foundation for the Carolinas and A Night for Smiles, a Charlotte nonprofit that raises funding to help provide dental-oriented healthcare locally.

The clinic is a part of the North Carolina Dental Society’s outreach program but is entirely funded and organized locally by volunteers. The Charlotte clinics are the largest and most comprehensive held in North Carolina, performing dental work valued at $4.6 million for nearly 7,300 patients.