Wherever Iowa Mission of Mercy travels to offer free dental services, a line is sure to form. The organization’s annual free dental clinic opens at 6 a.m., but people will line up early, waiting to receive cleanings, procedures and other services the volunteer clinicians and aids can provide.
This year, University of Iowa dental faculty and students will join Iowa Mission of Mercy (IMOM) volunteers to provide free dental care to anyone in need during the two-day clinic, which is coming to Coralville for the first time.
Brendan Young, a University of Iowa associate professor of dentistry and director of behavioral science who has volunteered with IMOM for four years, said he met one woman who said she relies on the annual clinic, which stops in a different area of Iowa each year, for all of her oral health care.
“I think the lines sort of indicate there is a real need, and people are really grateful for the opportunity to get that need met,” Young said. “And so, coming in, they’re in a pretty good mood, and certainly when they leave, there’s a great deal of relief and a great deal of gratitude.”
The 100-bed clinic will open at 6 a.m. on Sept. 19 and 20 at Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel and Conference Center, according to a news release from Iowa Mission of Mercy, and will remain open each day until the clinic reaches capacity.
IMOM has been operating the free clinic since 2008, according to its website, and has served more than 18,000 patients. UI Clinical Associate Professor of Oral Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine Carrie McKnight said she’s volunteered with IMOM for nearly 10 years, and each clinic provides approximately $1 million in services for patients.
In Coralville, however, McKnight said she expects to surpass that number.
Anyone, regardless of their age, insurance, income or where they call home, is welcome to come by the clinic for oral health care, including cleaning, fillings, root canals, exams and more, McKnight said. Participants will also receive information and materials to address dental needs at home.
When it comes to dental care, Young said people can experience a variety of barriers to getting their needs met. A primary block is the cost of care, he said, but fear and shame can keep folks from visiting a dentist consistently, or at all. People often are afraid of pain, of needing their teeth pulled and of having visible dental issues like missing teeth or bleeding gums which are stigmatized in the U.S.
Young said oral health can even impact someone’s relationships, employability and other areas of life.
“People feel really self conscious about their teeth, and going to see a dentist when you’ve got poor oral health — it can really serve as a barrier,” Young said. “And so we make a real effort at IMOM to be super nonjudgmental. Come as you are — we will meet you where you are.”
Young said a lot of work goes into organizing the clinics, from finding the right space, to setting up equipment and ensuring the infrastructure is there to support it. In addition to dental clinicians and students volunteering to help run the event, he said other volunteers help with things like onsite child care and more. Local plumbers will even donate their time to install temporary water lines and ensure they run properly.
McKnight said a “contingent” of dental students are always on board to work the clinic, but this year there was an outpouring of support from students, faculty and community dentists. UI dental students get to work with real patients at the university during their education as well, she said, and showing them their ability to help those in need is a “key component” of their education.
While a more dour mood might be expected at a dental clinic, Young said participants are generally happy to have the resource available and grateful to receive expert care.
McKnight said the clinic can’t solve all of the problems some patients have, and staff often have to cut off the line when they reach capacity, but Young said many people leave the clinic in less pain than when they came in.
“There is a lot of gratitude for what we do,” McKnight said. “So it certainly fills our cup to be able to help them.”
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