Health dept. offers free dental care for adults on Healthy Smiles Day
Nothing takes root in the lexicon of human communication like a thumbs up and (sort of) smile.
Enil Sanchez delivered both Wednesday morning at the Monongalia County Health Department.
The thumbs up was easy, and the (sort of) smile was quite charitable on his part.
That’s because he was in the middle of an extensive workup in a dentist chair at the facility on Van Voorhis Road.
He was there because the health department was being charitable on the day before Thanksgiving.
Healthy Smiles Day was the name of the outreach, which offered a free checkup, X-rays and cleaning included, for those who don’t have dental insurance.
The department partnered with Dr. Matt Koepke, a Morgantown oral surgeon, who also donated his time for the day.
This was the first-ever free dentistry day for adults there.
The health department has been doing the same for youngsters for years, with its Give Kids A Smile day every February.
That word “charitable” kept poking through in the lexicon of Dr. Dan Carrier, who manages the dentistry program for the health department.
“We always look for ways we can be charitable,” he said.
The dentist knows all about West Virginia’s dental woes.
He grew up in Morgantown, went to dental school at WVU, and stayed in his hometown and home state to practice.
Which means he’s quite familiar with all those “toothless hillbilly” jokes, also.
That’s because West Virginia Medicaid only covers the cost of pulling a diseased tooth, and not the work required to save it.
“A lot of times, it’s a forgotten population,” he said, of the people who only go to the dentist when a toothache becomes unbearable.
By then, he said, it’s usually too late to do anything but yank it, anyway.
And unfortunately, the ruined tooth has also been taking a bite out of the body’s overall health.
Gum disease wrought by a decaying tooth can lead to a bacterial infection in the bloodstream, he said, which can damage heart valves.
“That’s why we’re doing a lot of preventative things today,” he said.
“We want to head off some things.”
The Monongalia County Health Department offers a full-service dental practice, with everything from the filling of cavities to the building of dentures, if necessary.
A variety of payment options are also offered. Visit MCHD on Facebook to learn more.
Maxwell Pinto was just happy for the free day.
“I haven’t had insurance for three years,” said Pinto, who aged out of his parents’ plan.
Sanchez, meanwhile, was happy he learned that he had a couple of cavities.
They were on their way to being bad, had he not made his Wednesday appointment.
He was out of one chair and getting ready to settle into another, to get them repaired.
“I appreciate the service,” he said, with a full-on smile this time.
