Allison Taylor

Earlier this year, Louella Wesley called three oral surgeons to ask about getting her 86-year-old husband's decaying and aching teeth pulled, only to learn that she couldn't afford the procedures.

So when a friend told her about the Dr. William Roy Mercy Dental Clinic for low-income patients, Mrs. Wesley, 76, quickly made an appointment for her husband. Since then, he's had six unsalvageable teeth pulled to prepare him for a set of dentures, she said.

"I can't express it, but I'm just thankful. We're blessed to get in touch with them. Otherwise, I don't know how we'd have got it done," said the retired aide at the Orange Grove Center in Chattanooga.

Formerly called the Mercy Dental Clinic, the dental office -- which provides tooth extractions, pain management, dentures and partials, as well as basic dental guidance on a sliding fee scale for low-income residents -- is holding an open house and fundraiser Thursday evening to celebrate the recent name change, said Allison Taylor, clinic coordinator.

The clinic recently was renamed in honor of Dr. Roy, who co-founded it in 1985 and was a dedicated volunteer, Ms. Taylor said. Dr. Roy died last year, she said.

In Chattanooga, about 50 dentists regularly volunteer with the clinic, which treats patients on Fridays and does screening interviews on other days of the week.

The medical and social implications of poor dental care can be enormous, experts say.

"A dental infection can actually kill you," said dentist Larry Welch, a regular volunteer at the clinic and president of the Chattanooga Area Dental Society.

The inaccessibility of dental care for many poor families made headlines in 2007 when a 12-year-old boy from Maryland died after an infection from an abscessed tooth spread to his brain, the Washington Post reported.

Aside from causing chronic pain, severely decayed teeth and gum disease can affect self-esteem and hinder job prospects for those seeking employment, Ms. Taylor said.

She said some patients come to the dental clinic with such severe infections from abscessed teeth they have swelling on their face and neck.

"Usually when they find out about our clinic, it's usually at the point where they barely can talk. They can't hardly open their mouth," Ms. Taylor said.

In that case, the patient is sent to an emergency room for antibiotics and treatment before returning for a tooth extraction, she said.

By growing the clinic's volunteer base and raising more money, administrators at the clinic -- a joint effort of the society and Hope for the Inner City, a local Christian organization that works to improve urban areas -- hope to expand into offering preventive care, Dr. Welch said.