FORT SILL, Okla -- Fort Sill dental professionals volunteered up to 14 hours Feb. 2, 2013 at Lawton's Great Plains Coliseum providing free dental care for many Oklahomans.
In its fourth year, Oklahoma Mission of Mercy (OkMOM) brought more than 1,400 dental professionals, nurses, physicians and physician assistants from across the state to give comprehensive care to about 1,900 people in the two-day clinic.
The coliseum floor transformed into a fully functional dental facility that featured more than 130 dentist chairs and various support facilities.
Todd Bridges, 2013 OkMOM chairman and Oklahoma Dental Association president, said the event exemplified the giving nature of dentists and their support personnel.
"We are caring, compassionate people in the business of taking care of folks," he said.
That caring nature won the gratitude of their patients, most of whom Bridges said would never go to a dentist for a variety of reasons.
"[Some people] cannot get to a clinic, can't afford dental care or don't have dental insurance," said Bridges.
Maj. Nathan Parrish, Cowan Dental Clinic officer-in-charge, began his volunteer work at 4:30 a.m. In all, 10 Fort Sill general and specialist dentists, and five dental technicians helped out in areas directed by OkMOM organizers.
"It was so wonderful to be there and help people out that I didn't even notice I was tired. I don't know if you get tired because it was so exciting," said Parrish, who extracted wisdom teeth from patients.
Bridges said a little less than half of Oklahoma residents will go to a dentist in the coming year. That number makes the state the lowest ranking in the United States for people who regularly see dentists.
One patient waited patiently for his time in a dentist's chair. Ralph Weidling, received free dental work for the second year in a row. Last year, dental professionals invited him to come to Lawton if he still needed dental care. Though he experienced some wait times, he expressed deep appreciation for the services provided.
Along with getting his teeth cleaned and receiving a filling, he thanked everyone for the meals that were served free of charge.
"It's really cool they do this for everyone," he said before being escorted to a chair for his filling.
Like a revolving door in a busy department store, a steady stream of patients received care. Just how many he treated, Parrish could not recall.
Break time finally arrived at 5 p.m. just after he anesthetized his last patient.
"I sat down for a moment with Captain [Jamie] Hughes and looked outside at how pretty the day was," he said. "Realizing what we'd done all day, we did a fist bump, and I recall thinking these are the moments we'll remember forever."
Hughes, a dentist at Allen Dental Clinic, enjoyed treating people who otherwise wouldn't have access to dental care. She, too, said they were thankful of her efforts.
"There was one guy who was in a lot of pain with a tooth that was giving him some problems, and after removing it, he gave me a hug," she said. "To do that for someone and know how much he appreciated it -- that's one thing I like to be able to do for people."
Unlike the many instruments available to her in her dental clinic, she said the work challenged her to think outside the box, work with what was available and try to help each patient to the best of her abilities.
Dental professionals also cleaned teeth, performed root canals and filled decayed or repaired broken teeth.
Removing wisdom teeth all day, Parrish said patients surprised him with their responses after he treated them.
"I can't tell you how grateful every patient was throughout the day, but each thank you felt really good," he said.
Oklahoma is the 15th state to hold Mission of Mercy events. Next year it will be in Enid, Okla. Since 2000 the national program has treated more than 100,000 patients with free dental care valued at more than $50 million.
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