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Could you imagine?

By April Beane

Daniella felt helpless. Her three boys had multiple cavities, one also had a cracked tooth, but she couldn't afford the thousands of dollars it would take to get them filled. 

Vickie’s granddaughter, Sage, had three cavities and needed a root canal on one tooth. But they could not afford a dental visit.

The stories came one after another. And then came the testimonials — from patients who received free dental care as part of the Wisconsin Dental Association and WDA Foundation’s fourth annual Mission of Mercy, held in Madison, Wis.

“I kept praying for some miracle,” says 21-year-old Dana Gabiga. “For some dentist, somewhere to just randomly care enough to do something and not need an arm and a leg. Because I don’t have insurance, so I can’t afford that. So, it’s a miracle that this even happened today.”

At the two-day event, held June 29-30, miracles happened during 3,595 patient visits (including for Daniella’s sons, Sage and Dana) — those patients received 1,205 cleanings, 2,567 fillings, 2,822 extractions, 80 root canals and 153 partial dentures for total of $1.75 million in donated care.

Dana had a tooth pulled and one cavity filled in a front tooth. The cavity bothered her the most because it showed when she smiled.

“I honestly could cry right now,” she says. “I feel so blessed and happy about my tooth being fixed.”

Of the 1,810 volunteers it took to make this event a success, approximately 390 were Marquette University School of Dentistry students, alumni, faculty and staff. They put in long hours and relished the opportunity to help people suffering with oral health issues large and small.

Laura Moerer, a first-year Marquette dental student, worked in an area at the event dedicated to teaching children and adults proper dental care. She expected to be “blown-away” by the need, she says, but was excited to help patients understand how to take better care of their teeth.

“I think when you take the time to ask the questions — not really judge their answers but take the time to get the information — it shows them that I care that they become healthy and they really respond to that,” she says.

Next year’s Mission of Mercy will be held in Lake Geneva, Wis.