In the midst of a teeming bazaar of dental specialists cleaning, drilling, and extracting at Floyd Little Athletic Center, Leonard Gorham, a 71-year-old Air Force veteran from New Haven, relaxed into his dental chair, waiting to be fitted for a partial denture.
Its cost, ordinarily $500 to $1,500, was $0.00.
“I was hit by a gun from behind and they had to remove the teeth, this was years ago,” Gorham said on Friday morning, amid the buzz and squeal of dental instruments sounding through 45,000 square feet of the cavernous field center. He’d pick up the partial denture Saturday morning.
Gorham was among the 1,100 patients to receive cost-free first-come first-served dental care at the 16th annual Mission of Mercy clinic, a two-day affair on Friday and Saturday that afforded free dental care to underserved and uninsured people in Connecticut.
“There’s such an unmet need because of the cost of health care,” said Lisa Perry-Swain, executive director of the Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach, which hosts Mission of Mercy clinics throughout the state. On Monday, the Foundation estimated that the clinic provided dentistry services totaling close to $1.2 million.
“It’s less an access to care issue because there are 2,600 dentists in this state, but due to the cost of dental care, and the cost of living, people can’t afford it,” she said.
At a press conference last Monday boosting the clinic, city Health Director Maritza Bond cited statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control showing “over 29 percent of our community across [the] country lacks dental care,” including “62 percent of older adults” who do not have dental insurance.
Among the 1,000 volunteers that traveled from as far off as Florida and Vermont was Dr. James Bednarczyk of East Rock Dental, who was engaged in pulling out teeth in the Extractions section.
“Hey Larry,” he called out to Dr. Larry Levy, co-vice chair of CT Mission of Mercy and a dentist in Middletown. “Remember those two teeth? The one with the big hole didn’t break.”
“You’re a star,” Levy said.
“I got lucky,” he replied, chuckling. “I am lucky. So far I’ve had a wonderful career. I’ve worked in New Haven over 40 years, and this is my way of giving something back of the skills that came from my education at UConn Dental School.”
Beside him was Carmen Mylen. “This is my dental assistant Carmen,” he said. “We go back one hour.”
Mylen said she’s been volunteering for the past 13 years.
“All over the state, every year wherever it is, that’s where I go,” she said. “I came from Southington and I’m going to drive home tonight and come back first thing tomorrow morning.”
“The patients, they need the help, and they’re coming and letting us do the work,” she said. “We need them, they need us.”
Thereupon the two turned their attention to Frank Lopez who was waiting to have two teeth extracted.
“They’re a little bit painful, so I’m grateful,” he said in Spanish, with Mylen translating.
At the patient education table, Anthony Lopez was engaged in conversation with a group of students from the University of New Haven dental hygiene program.
“I’m smiling because I had a very thorough cleaning by a very qualified hygienist from Wethersfield,” said Lopez, an Army veteran who heard about the clinic at the West Haven VA. “People realize the importance of dental work but we can’t all afford it, so this is a really special thing.”
One of the students handed him a Ziploc with floss, a toothbrush, and mouthwash. “Really make sure you massage your gums when you’re brushing,” she told him. “Our school set this up for us,” said another, as Lopez exited. “We have public health rotations, so it’s a requirement, but I really love teaching people about how they can avoid gum disease by smoking cessation or if they’re having mobility problems, how they can brush.”
Alexis Rodriguez was in the dental hygiene section directing patients to the waiting area in the stands and calling their names when a hygienist was ready. It was her first time volunteering at the clinic.
“Super super organized,” said Rodriguez, a student at Southern who’s double majoring in Spanish education and medical Spanish, and plans to work as a hospital interpreter.
Seeing the line snaking along Sherman Avenue as she was driving in that morning, “I wanted to cry,” she said. “You don’t realize how many people need this desperately. I talked to a patient. She waited overnight. I just can’t believe if this is just Connecticut and this is the amount of people who need health care and dental services, what the rest of the country is going through.”
Near the door, volunteer Paul Venti stood at a cart stocked with granola bars, yogurt, bananas, and bottled water for those standing in line.
“This is my tenth time doing this, and it’s just so rewarding,” said Venti; he drove from North Carolina and put himself up at Days Inn for two nights. “These are people that may have low self-esteem, and then they come out of here and they’re so grateful because now they can smile.”
Perry-Swain, the executive director, said the clinic is supported by grants, sponsorships, in-kind donations, and individual donations, but state and federal funding are crucial to keep it going.
“Legislators need to understand that we are saving them money,” she said, expressing the Foundation’s appreciation to New Haven State Rep. Toni Walker and Newington State Rep. Gary Turco for their appearances, Dr. Suzanne Lagarde for facilitating 249 doses of flu and Covid vaccines through the Fair Haven Community Health Clinic, as well as the army of volunteers.
“Many of these patients who come to the clinic would not otherwise see another dental professional, so if they have infections or issues with their teeth that become extreme, they tend to go to the ER, and a lot of them are on Medicare and Medicaid, so that cost is absorbed by the state.”
Denture technician Ed Hansen was in the makeshift dental lab, custom-building removable dentures for a patient that had a tooth extracted earlier that day.
“I’m going to make them an appliance, and they’ll go home with it tomorrow morning,” said Hansen, who traveled from the Champlain Dental Lab in Williston, Vermont.
“These people, they need it, and these are cost prohibitive,” he said, getting up to retrieve the tooth. “Dental care is health care and health care is a human right. You gotta help these folks out.”
“Amen to that,” said a woman who was passing by, a broad smile on her face. “This is everything.”