Mission of Mercy brings two days of free dental care to Green Bay
By Josephine Hinderman
Contributing Writer
GREEN BAY – Coming to the KI Center is two days of totally free dental care, courtesy of the Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) and the WDA Foundation.
For their 10th Mission of Mercy event, the WDA will provide free dental care to adults, children and families in the Green Bay area from June 16-17.
These services are meant to be an opportunity for people who may be limited by finances, lack of insurance or other factors that make them unable to maintain regular visits to a dental office, but the event is open to anyone.
No photo I.D., social security number, insurance information or any other form of personal identification is required to qualify for dental care, but medically-compromising conditions, such as heart conditions or severe disabilities, may prevent an individual from receiving care, according to a WDA release.
Services provided during the event include cleanings, fillings, extractions and partial dentures, all of which are available to people of any age — those under 18 years of age will need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian — on a first come, first serve basis.
“Part of our goal is to create awareness to people, and provide access to oral health and education by going back to the basics like flossing and brushing to the more advanced stuff like diets. We’re gonna try to get all the facets to oral health education,” said Dr. Eric Childs with Oak Grove Dentistry.
To fund charitable dental programs, the WDA Foundation Grant Program provided $61,724 in grants to 10 Wisconsin oral care programs, including Oral Health Partnership of Brown County and the Tri-County Dental Clinic of Outagamie, Calumet and Winnebago counties.
The WDA Foundation Grant Program provides grants such as these so that those who don’t have access to dental care can receive that care, and to also increase access to care, education and volunteer opportunities related to the dental health community.
Each year, the WDA Foundation Grant Program awards these grants, having awarded over $1.1 million in grants since 2000.
Through these grants and nearly $200,000 in donations from more than 60 organizations, Mission of Mercy is possible.
The event also creates an opportunity to educate and bring care to local families that otherwise wouldn’t be able to access such services or education.
“One thing I hope is that we meet urgent dental needs within the community… this [event] is one way we can meet those needs,” added Childs. “We hope to get people out of pain, educate someone on dental stuff, or improve their smile… we’re glad to relaunch [Mission of Mercy] after the pandemic, and we’re glad to have it in Green Bay.
“We’re all excited to help out. I would encourage people to take advantage of this since it might be a while before we see a large event like this in Green Bay again. Any and all people should go out and take advantage of this.”
“Our volunteers look forward to helping children and adults who face barriers when it comes to accessing dental care. We aim to relieve pain, restore smiles and provide oral hygiene education … Mission of Mercy is just one example of how Wisconsin dentists serve their communities and help make a difference through charitable dental care each year,” stated WDA Foundation President Dr. Thomas J. Nockerts.
While dental care will be performed by certified dentists, as many as 700 volunteers, assistants, hygienists, dentistry students from the Marquette University School of Dentistry and community members will be present to assist in procedures.
Mission of Mercy will be hosted at the KI Event Center at 333 Main St., Green Bay.
For both days, the doors will open at 5:30 a.m. and will run until capacity is met or at 3 p.m., whichever comes first.
If you’re interested in making a donation to the WDA, visit their donation page at https://secure.givelively.org/donate/wisconsin-dental-association-foundation-inc/wda-foundation.
For more information about WDA or the Mission of Mercy event, visit wda.org or call (414) 276-4520.