Washington County Residents Receive Free Dental Care

Machias - "I get to see dentists," said Aidden Hayward.

Little Aidden Hayward is one of hundreds of Washington County residents
seeing the dentist this week. They're receiving both preventative and
emergency dental care, free of charge. It's through an NYU outreach
program that provides these services to areas with low access to care.
It's the second time the clinic has come to Machias.

"This is a great thing for people like myself and other people that don't
have dental insurance," said Johanna Crucitti.

"It's amazing to see both young and old that have tremendous need for
dental services and yet they can't find providers to offer these services.
Programs like this really fill that void," said Michael Goldberg of the Delta Dental Plan Board of Directors.

Many community organizations worked together to bring the NYU dental
students here. They say for many in Washington County, dental care can be
life changing.

"It can make a difference. And we have people come in who haven't smiled
for 20 years because they were ashamed of the way their teeth looked and
it's something that we can take care of and can be taken care of through
routine dental care," said Dr. Timothy Oh, Director of Caring Hands of Maine Dental Center.

The clinic provides immediate care. But they also hope they'll provide the
tools and the resources for these folks to continue taking care of their
teeth.

"Once they come here, they're given resources, different dental programs
and different dental clinics around their area where they can get care
after this leaves," said Oh.

Organizers hope Washington County residents who visit the clinic will keep
smiling for years to come.

The clinic is at the Lee Pellon Event Center located on Main Street in Machias.
The hours are as follows:

Wed. April 13 8:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Thu. April 14 CLOSED
Fri. April 15 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sat. April 16 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM

The NYU College of Dentistry Henry Schein Cares Global Outreach Program is partnering with Delta Dental Plan of Maine, the Washington County Children's Program, Washington Hancock Community Agency, Caring Hands of Maine, and Child and Family Opportunities.