Georgian Dental’s Smiles On Us event is expected to serve hundreds of local residents in need of dental care at their office in west Orillia next month.
Cinzia Minott, the regional manager for Dentalook's two Georgian Dental offices in Barrie and Orillia, says the Smiles on Us event has been a community staple now for 11 years.
"Dr. Adam Tan started it and is still a part of it every year," Minott explained. "It's sort of a group effort and there's quite a few doctors who give their time."
More than 40 volunteers from across the Dentalook organization work the free dental care event that aims to "give back to the community," Minott says.
"A lot of people, especially now, are struggling to even come in for a cleaning," she said. "The fact that we offer that every year, it's just a feel-good thing."
Last year, the event served around 65 people at the Barrie office. Each year, the event alternates between being hosted at the Barrie and Orillia offices.
Patients must be 18 years of age or older to participate in the free event and can receive one cleaning, one filling, or one extraction.
"For somebody that's in a lot of pain and has been waiting to get an extraction, this is huge for them," Minott said. "If it's a front tooth and they've got a filling that needs to be done, fixing that front tooth can give confidence."
Last year, people started lining up over two hours early for the event that runs this year from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 8.
"You can see that there's a need."
Minott hopes other dentist offices in the community will follow suit and offer free services to those in need throughout the year.
"It would be great," she said. "I would really hope they would adopt this and help give back to the community."
The cost of some of the services provided free during the Smiles On Us event, can be prohibitive for some people, she noted.
"The patients we see on that day are always so appreciative," Minott said. "They are so grateful because otherwise they wouldn't have had anything done and would have to continue living with that for a long time."
For more information about the Smiles On Us event, click here.
