11/03/2017

2016 in Review: A Benchmark to Smile About

Did you know the Wentworth-Douglass Community Dental Center provided almost 7000 services associated with over 3000 patient visits in 2016?  Thanks to donations made to the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation, many patients are smiling. 

The numbers are climbing, primarily due to the generosity of donors and grants to the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation. Over 90 income-eligible individual patients received services in 2016, running the gamut from fillings and crowns to dentures and referrals to specialists for needed oral surgery.

According to Dr. Laurie A. Aiton, DMD, the grant money makes dental treatment a possibility for many patients who have put off and deferred that care due to cost: “We’ve seen patients who haven’t been to a dentist in years. Now they no longer have to wait until a crisis, and can dramatically improve their oral health and quality of life.”

Ellen, who recently received a partial denture to replace missing front teeth, says that she is now ready to go out and find a good job. Rose, a patient who had told friends she would have to win the lottery first to afford a dental exam, says, “I had completely given up on my teeth. I just want the donors to know that I am so grateful.”