Eight hundred volunteers will be be descending upon Sherman Parkway later this week to provide cost-free, first-come-first-served dental care to New Haveners in need of everything from x‑rays to fillings to tooth extractions to limited root canals.
That’s thanks to the Connecticut Mission of Mercy, which will be holding its annual free dental clinic on Friday, Oct. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Floyd Little Athletic Center at 580 Sherman Pkwy.
On Monday morning, City Health Director Maritza Bond and Mayor Justin Elicker joined representatives from the Connecticut Mission of Mercy and from local healthcare partner Fair Haven Community Health Care for a press conference boosting the free dental clinic. Fair Haven Community Health Care will be providing flu shots and Covid boosters at the two-day event.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bond said, “over 29 percent of our community across [the] country lacks dental care,” including “62 percent of older adults” who do not have dental insurance.
“We are gonna turn your smiles into healthier, more beautiful smiles on Friday and Saturday,” Elicker said, with 800 volunteers looking to provide care to an estimated 1,400 patients.
Anyone who cannot afford to pay for dental care is eligible, although children under 18 have to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. The clinic will be providing a range of routine services, including dental exams, x‑rays, cleanings, tooth extractions, fillings, limited root canals, and interim partial dentures. The clinic does require patients to present a personal ID in order to receive care.
While the clinic is first-come, first served, veterans will receive preferred placement.
Thinking about stopping by? Everything you need to know is right here.
Click here to watch Monday’s press conference in full.