Chatham’s Bright Smiles Community Dental Hygiene is returning to providing free dental care to local residents in need. Owner and dental hygienist Christine Bureau said her “Give Where You Live” program previously offered free services to 16 patients every two to three months. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to pause community clinics due to a lack of volunteers.
“I still committed to seeing the same number of clients at no cost. I just worked them into my routine,” Bureau said.
On Feb. 21, Bright Smiles will hold a scaled-down community day with the assistance of registered hygienist Leeanne Pepper “just to test the waters and get back into it.”
Before opening Bright Smiles, Bureau spent seven years with a Calgary non-profit providing free dental hygiene care and education through a mobile clinic. “That’s where my passion lies — doing this outreach work,” she said.
Pepper, who volunteered at the clinics prior to the pandemic, noted the range of oral health needs among patients can be severe. “Some of the needs are pretty dire. It’s affecting their lifestyle, their quality of life. Everybody deserves a healthy mouth — it changes their life,” she said.
Bureau acknowledged running community days has been a learning curve, particularly when open to the general public. She shifted to offering services by appointment, partnering with non-profits such as the Salvation Army and the Chatham-Kent Women’s Centre.
For the upcoming clinic, Bright Smiles is working with the Adult Language and Learning Centre, which will select clients in need. Patients will receive a cleaning (scaling), polishing, fluoride treatment if needed, tissue checks, and oral cancer screening. The clinic also helps connect clients with further dental care and educates them on available government programs.
Although volunteers and sponsors are always welcome, Bureau currently funds much of the free services herself, setting aside a portion of patient fees to cover costs.
“I’m hoping that after this soft launch, the next community day will allow more volunteers and more clients, and we can really get back into the swing of things,” she said.