On Friday afternoon, I was at a very special event that hasn’t been done in our area - Free dental care for anyone that wanted or needed it. It’s called the New York State Mission Of Mercy, and is courtesy of the efforts of the American Dental Association and the New York State Dental Association. The free dental clinic, at Hudson Valley Community College in the McDonough Sports Complex in Troy, is also going on, Saturday June 14, from 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., unless the clinic gets filled to capacity.

Before I got there, I wasn’t sure what to expect. When I walked in, I was amazed at how the gym was turned into huge dentists offices, with hundreds of volunteers, waiting to see people for anything that they needed for oral health care. A lot of the volunteers are dentists and dental hygienists, that actually performed the services that they would do in their own offices. That included cleanings, root canals, tooth extractions, x-rays, fillings and just about anything that was needed for oral health care.

The clinic is open for anyone, whether they’re insured or not, no matter what the age. I met a lot of dental professionals from all over New York State that came to volunteer at the clinic. You don't have to sign up, you just have to show up, but keep in mind that it’s a first come, first serve basis. The earlier that you get there, the better.

One little side note about a personal level - I was at the Stewarts Shop in Colonie last night and there was a man that was talking about his experience at the Mission Of Mercy Dental Clinic. After he made his purchase, he turned around and told me about the clinic, and was extremely happy about the dental work that he had done. This was just after he told the clerks about his experince. By the way, he didn’t know who I was or that I was there earlier in the day.

Here are a just a few pictures of what was going on.

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