Contributed photo/Fish for Teeth Dental exams are performed in a van supplied by the organization Medical Teams International.

Submitted by Fish for Teeth

Islanders, unable to afford dental care, can receive it for free thanks to the local nonprofit Fish for Teeth on Thursday, Jan. 10, Friday, Jan. 11 and Saturday, Jan. 12. A mobile dental van will be parked in the Mullis Street parking lot shared by the Orca Inn and Heritage Bank.

“Many volunteers and local businesses work as a team to bring this service to those who cannot otherwise afford dental care,” said Fish for Teeth Founder Matt Marinkovich, a San Juan Island commercial fisherman.

Fish for Teeth sponsors a mobile dental van for dental clinics on San Juan Island, three times a year. The Medical Teams International’s van can handle dental hygiene appointments to root canals.

Patients are seen by appointment only. Pick up applications at the San Juan Island Family Resource Center or the county health department or download them at www.fishforteeth.com. Submit applications to the San Juan County Health Department on Rhone Street. Volunteers, not the county health department employees, determine scheduling a week before the clinic, based on severity and space.

To raise funds for the van, Fish for Teeth will sell fish tacos at 11 a.m., Friday, Jan. 18, outside Ace Hardware in Friday Harbor. Tacos, which are as large as burritos, are made with Alaskan rockfish harvest and topped with Pablitos Salsa, Tillamook cheese, fresh greens and a squeeze of lime. Volunteers ask for a donation of $8 per taco.

Marinkovich formed Fish for Teeth in 2007, after noticing a community need for affordable dental care. The Fish for Teeth board, comprised of local fishermen and dental professionals, sponsors the mobile dental clinic every January, May and October on San Juan Island. Fish for Teeth receives no federal funding and relies solely on donations, which are tax-deductible.

For more information, visit www.fishforteeth.com or contact fishforteeth@rockisland.com.