Connecticut Mission of Mercy (CTMOM) is postponing its free dental clinic, originally scheduled for March 20 and 21 in Danbury, due to the COVID-19 coronavirus. The Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach (CFDO), which runs the clinic, has not announced a rescheduled date yet. Organizers were expecting as many as 2,000 people to receive treatment in a hundred dental chairs from more than 700 volunteers.
“The CT Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic is a critically important volunteer healthcare initiative that’s become a tradition in our state,” said Governor Ned Lamont. “I applaud the hundreds of dental and medical professionals and community volunteers for their commitment and dedication to Connecticut’s underserved, uninsured, and working poor who are improving the lives of so many Connecticut residents through this clinic.”
The annual clinic provides free dental care to those who are in need and can’t afford the cost of services on a first-come, first-served basis. Services include dental and general health screenings, x-rays, cleanings, fillings, extractions, oral surgery, limited partial dentures, and root canals on front teeth. Since its first clinic in 2008, CTMOM has treated 20,345 patients and provided more than $13 million in free care.
“It is our role to help as many people as possible and get them the dental care they need and at least alleviate their dental pain,” said Dr. Johnathan Knapp, a dentist in Bethel and a CFDO board member. “We are happy to come to Danbury again while continuing to work with Connecticut’s leaders—political, business, health, and not-for-profit communities—to make dental care a priority in public health services.”
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