Local Medical Missions offer free dental and medical services

How much need is there for free or reduced cost dental care ?

Thousands of Middle Tennesseans go to emergency rooms with dental issues every year because they lack dental insurance or the resources to pay for private dental care. The two Interfaith Dental clinics here receive on average 100 phone calls per day, with only about 10 percent being current program patients. If a patient calls in pain with an emergency need, they try to get them in to relieve them of their pain, or direct them to another clinic that may better meet their needs.

Based on statistics that one in five people living in poverty is suffering from dental disease, Interfaith estimates that would be around 87,000 people, just in Davidson county.

Free medical and dental services

I often write about free food, free admissions and other nice freebies that we can take advantage of.

But today my topic is more important and more urgent — the free medical and dental services that are being offered to uninsured or underinsured and low income people here in Middle Tennessee at several locations this month.

Most of these "local medical mission" events enlist goodhearted professional volunteers to provide these crucial services at no cost to the patients, and most are offered on a first come first served basis.

Thank you to the volunteers who make this possible. And if you are reading this, please share this information with people and agencies that work with individuals who desperately need medical help, dental work, vision screenings, glasses, etc.

Medical missions coming up this month:

•The annual Medical/Dental Mission that Church of the Messiah has offered every fall in downtown Nashville is being held in Lebanon this year at Generation Changers Church from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Sept. 22.

It is a one-day event with volunteers providing free medical screenings, an eye clinic (vision screenings and glasses), social services, pastoral counseling and two mobile dental units providing services.First come first served and the advice is to arrive early. Location: 533 Wildcat Way in Lebanon

•Dr. David Roach's sixth annual Dentistry from the Heart Free Day of Dentistry event is 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sept. 22 at his Green Hill's office. Patients (18 and older) can choose between one cleaning, one filling or one extraction and the hope is to serve 110 people. No appointments, but registration begins at 7:30 a.m. For more details: www.dentistryfromtheheart.org or www.greenhillsdentist.net or call 615-383-7801. As they say, "smile, it's free!" Location: 3824 Bedford Ave.

•St. Thomas Health/Ascension Medical Mission at Home is partnering with 30 Nashville based agencies to provide free care to hundreds of low income and uninsured local individuals on Sept. 30 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium. Last year the Day of Hope, Health and Healing offered pharmacy services (including select prescription medications), dental services, mammograms, vision services, foot and wound care, lab and imaging services, and behavioral medicine. More than 600 volunteers from St. Thomas Health, including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, chaplains, senior leadership and other hospital staff, participated in the one day of screenings and medical care.



Bonus: Another good resource for safety net dental services is www.tnoralhealth.org, which directs you to clinics, including a Spanish speaking one.

Ongoing sources of affordable dental work

One of the most active providers of dental care to the elderly, uninsured and working poor is the Interfaith Dental Clinic, which has clinics in Nashville and Murfreesboro. The two clinics last year provided services to 2,577 patients through 12,977 patient visits, which translates into more than $5.1 million in services. All patients pay on a sliding fee scale, with most paying 20 percent of market cost. The clinic's model is to ask patients to pay what they can, to use as many clinical volunteers as possible to provide the care (4,954 volunteer hours last year) and to raise the remaining costs through fundraisers and other initiatives, such as the Do the Bright Thing — Whiten Your Teeth for Charity promotion. Details: www.interfaithdentalclinic.com or call 615-329-4790

The Tennessee State University Dental Hygiene Clinic student clinic offers basic cleanings for children for $15 and screening and cleanings for adults for $25. Details: 615-963-5791 or see dhclinic@tnstate.edu

Meharry Medical College's School of Dentistry also has a student clinic, which offers services such as fillings, dentures, crowns and bridges at about one-third of private practice rates. Details: 615-327-6669.

Remington College has a Dental Hygiene Program at its Nashville campus, 441 Donelson Pike, Suite 150, with student clinics providing low-cost procedures for the public, including cleaning and fluoride treatments, X-rays, tooth print child identification impressions, oral cancer screenings, and dental sealants. Details: 615-493-9398.



In Davidson County, 14 percent of adults are uninsured, according to the United States Census Bureau. “Many uninsured and underinsured middle Tennesseans fall into the health insurance ‘coverage gap,’ and struggle to afford healthcare,” said Saint Thomas Health President and Chief Executive Officer, Karen Springer. “Saint Thomas Health and Ascension feel a deep calling to serve the poor and vulnerable through medical missions at home."

Reach Ms. Cheap at 615-259-8282 or mscheap@tennessean.com. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/mscheap, and at Tennessean.com/mscheap.