(Gretchen Ertl/AP Images for Aspen Dental)Last year, Aspen Dental practices provided free dental care to 3,500 veterans in one day. This year, the dentistry group is aiming to reach more than 5,000.
Saturday, June 25 at 8 a.m., Aspen Dental locations across the country will open their doors to veterans, many of whom don’t receive dental care unless they are deemed 100 percent disabled, said Dr. Ashley Boling, owner of the East Hamilton, Hixson and Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., locations as well as the head dentist at Aspen Dental on Shallowford Road.
Her three locations will be participating that day.
Aspen Dental, in partnership with Oral Health America, launched the Healthy Mouth Movement in 2014. The event started out as a way to give back to Aspen’s local communities through free dental care for all, but the practice began narrowing the focus to veterans in 2015.
“Veterans are a huge part of our nation,” Boling said. ” We just saw a big opportunity to reach out and do a lot of good for them since they’ve done a lot for us.”
Teams at the dental practices will see four patients per hour from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Patients will be able to receive cleanings, extractions, fillings and denture repairs, depending on their needs.
“Most people don’t love going to the dentist, and sometimes that’s a beatdown during the day because no one is excited to be there,” said Boling. “However, everyone is usually in a great mood on this day when we’re there volunteering, which is really a nice change.”
In addition to the care the practices will provide that day, Boling will select a veteran with additional dental needs to receive all additional work free of charge.
Reservations are required for for free dental day on June 25 and openings are limited. To make an appointment, veterans can call 1-844-AspenHMM.
Contact Ashley Arnold at aarnold@timesfreepress.com or 757-6502.