Dentists go on a Mission of Mercy

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

More than 1,400 patients received free dental care totaling $1.4 million last weekend at a Mission of Mercy clinic in Wise County. Two Wytheville dentists and a dental assistant were among the 50 professionals volunteering their time and services to the project.
Dr. Nathan Houchins has been involved with the Mission of Mercy project, sponsored by the Virginia Dental Health Foundation, since he was a student at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond in 2001. His wife, Stacy, a dental assistant, began volunteering in 2005.
Houchins recruited Dr. Dennis Throckmorton for the free dental clinics last year. Throckmorton participated Saturday in the three-day clinic held at the Wise County Fairgrounds.
According to Houchins, there were 4,222 teeth extractions, 1,200 fillings, 1,117 cleanings, 51 root canals, 1,247 X-rays made and 20 dentures made. The clinic opened early Friday morning and continued through Sunday.
“I saw about 21 patients on Friday, 24 on Saturday and 12 on Sunday,” Dr. Houchins noted. “We started at 6 a.m. and were there until 7 p.m. We took a short break and got some crackers and then went back to work.”
Stacy Houchins added, “It was 98 degrees under the tents one day. The people were very patient. Sometimes there was a five to six hour waiting period.”
“We can’t do all the procedures at one time,” Dr. Houchins said. “They can take 30 minutes to an hour to do.”
Both pointed out people began gathering at the fairgrounds Thursday evening. Some set up tents and spent the night to be there when the clinic opened Friday morning on a first-come-first-serve basis, they said.
The free dental clinic is held in Wise County each July. Others are at Grundy in October, Roanoke in March and the Eastern Shore in February.
“There is such a need,” said Stacy Houchins, who is her husband’s dental assistant at their practice on Tazewell Street in Wytheville. “The unemployment rate is high and so many people can’t afford dental insurance.”
The Virginia Dental Association, Dr. Houchins said, stores all the dental equipment used for the clinics at a warehouse in Richmond. Dental college students and other volunteers deliver and set up the 60 dentist chairs at the clinic sites, according to him.
The sheer volume of patients at the free clinics does not overwhelm Dr. Houchins. He takes it one patient at a time.
“It’s very rewarding to help those in need who can’t afford treatment,” Dr. Houchins said. “The patients are very appreciative. There is a laid back atmosphere at the clinics. It is not stressful. Some of these patients have been in pain for months and the only relief they get is to go to the emergency room for medication. It’s very rewarding to take somebody out of pain.”
Lately, he has witnessed a turnaround in preventative health care among free dental clinic patients. People are taking better care of their teeth, Dr. Houchins said.
“Some of the patients we talked to don’t even have a toothbrush,” he reported. “One family was even sharing a toothbrush. We do a certain amount of education about dental care and free toothbrushes are available.”
While in very preliminary stages, a free mini-dental clinic for Wytheville is being proposed by Dr. Houchins. He is working with the dental department at Wytheville Community College to develop such a project.
“It’s still in the early planning stages,” he said. “The scope would not be nearly as big since the college only has 13 chairs. We plan to use the waiting list from the free clinics in Bland and Wytheville for people needing dental care. I wish there was a way we could hire a full-time person to care of these needs.”
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).