HALIFAX – A group of dentists in Halifax are spreading some holiday cheer Christmas Eve by providing free dental work to patients in need.
On Tuesday, 24 handpicked patients at Gladstone Dental Centre and Robie Dental Centre received work ranging from fillings to extractions to general cleaning and polishing. The patients were based on financial need and personal circumstances.
Barry Moores was one of the lucky patients chosen for the program. He was ecstatic and bubbling with energy when he arrived in the Gladstone clinic.
Moores said he was floored when he got the news he would be receiving free dental work; he got his teeth cleaned and some work done on his cavities.
“Considering I don’t have the money up front anyway…having this, especially before Christmas, is just so awesome,” he said.
“I still can’t believe it. It’s so surreal.”
That feeling behind the seasonal giving is what inspired dentist Atima Kamra to bring the program to Halifax.
Kamra used to live in Chicago and had set up a similar program at her U.S. practice. She has been practicing dentistry in Halifax for the last two years.
“Every practice, every location, anywhere you are, there are people who are in need,” she said.
“Let’s take the finances out of the picture and help you get what you really want and need done.”
For Jan Michelle Slaunwhite, that meant getting some cavities filled at the Robie Dental Centre.
“I was shocked, amazed and so thankful. I feel so blessed,” she said.
Slaunwhite is in between jobs right now and calls being picked for the program a blessing.
“It just lifts my spirits and it puts me in a really good mood. I didn’t know I was picked for this. It came as a total surprise.”
The donation of dental work also came as a surprise to Stephen Ryan, who got a cleaning and some fillings Tuesday.
He notes the dental work would have cost him several hundred dollars out-of-pocket since he does not have insurance.
“It’s a big relief because I know it’s going to get done. It’s just something I won’t have to worry about in the New Year,” said Ryan, who adds he feels lucky and grateful to have been picked.
Kamra said the program has been so rewarding that she plans to do it again next year.
She also hopes it inspires others in the health field to give back to their community, and not just around the holiday season.
“If our time can give that much value to people, why not?”
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