Easing W.Va.'s Ache for Care

Patients get dental work done in the gym of Hedgesville High School in Berkeley County, W.Va., which an army of 700 volunteers turned into a free clinic. The two-day effort was staffed by 50 volunteer dentists and funded by a local philanthropist. (Photo: Ricky Carioti/Post)
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Dickinson estimates that the mass clinics can serve each patient for $15. This is substantially less than the $450 to $500 he said is the average for dental visits. He estimates that the 1,100 people going through the clinic in two days will have gotten more than $500,000 worth of care.

Why would so many wake up before dawn for dental care?

"There are a lot of low-income people, and dentistry is expensive," said Richard Meckstroth, a professor of dentistry at the University of West Virginia who was volunteering yesterday.

Another reason is that the number of local dentists has failed to keep pace with rapid population growth.

"So the dentists are swamped with people who can pay, and those who can't are stuck," Meckstroth said.

The problem is compounded by the lack of support for young dentists opening practices, he said. Establishing a new, fully equipped office can cost more than $100,000, a sum beyond the reach of most recent dentistry grads.

The mass clinics provide a valuable service, he said, but he hopes for more systematic care.

"This isn't the way to do this," he said. "This is only 1,000 people, and there's lots more who need this kind of care."

After an hour in the chair, the efforts of two dentists and an assistant had left Waugh's mouth two teeth poorer. The third tooth finally yielded to the pliers, and Waugh drew an open hand across his throat to show that he'd had enough. The fourth tooth he was worried about was not one he had to lose.

The dentist gave Waugh some pointers on helping his mouth heal, handed him his folder and wrote a prescription for Tylenol with codeine. The anesthetic would wear off in a few hours, he said.

Near the exit, a volunteer gave Waugh some gauze for his gums and toothbrushes for him and his children. He wrote a thank-you note in a book for the clinic's funder, put an ice pack to his cheek and said he had to get home for his son's 7th birthday party.

"But I'm afraid I won't eat no birthday cake today," he said.