The Dental Dilemma

I have to admit that I have been blessed throughout my life by the ability to go to a dentist on a regular basis. Some are not so fortunate. Over the past two days, the city of Little Rock has allowed one of his most public of buildings, the Robinson Center (normally a place for concerts and recitals), to be the site of a makeshift dental clinic for those in need of dental services. The outpouring of people to the Center, many waiting in line for hours and 1,000 turned away at the end of the day, highlights the need for dental care for the poor as well as quality health care.

I remember my days as a young girl growing up in Greenville, Mississippi, daughter of an absentee father and a waitress (a hard-working young mother striving to make ends meet). Money was so tight that a .05 Coke was a treat to be bought across the alley at the small neighborhood grocery store. When my sister Judy and I needed to go to the dentist, however, a kind-hearted one named Dr. Reese took care of us, knowing that our mother would need to pay on credit for a number of months. He often said to her, "Mrs. Sims, I know that you will pay me when you can."

Those days of the 1950's ended quite some time ago. Now all dental offices (as well as physicians' offices) have the perfunctory sign up front as one enters the building, "Full payment is required for services today." Having experienced a toothache once in a while during childhood, I cannot begin to understand the pain that many who are unable to afford to go to a dentist experience on an everyday basis.

I applaud the many dental professionals and volunteers who went together to provide two free days of dental work to the hundreds they were able to serve. We must, however, continue to seek solutions to the high costs of dental and medical care for those who can least afford to pay.