Celebrate late this year – the last Friday of February, almost two weeks after Valentine’s Day, Shamblott Family Dentistry will again spread goodwill and cheer to the local community with a Dentistry from the Heart (DFTH) event. This year’s DFTH will be the fourth annual event offering gifts of free fillings and extractions to the first people who show up at Dr. Scott Shamblott’s office in Hopkins.
“There is an opportunity to provide dental care to many people who couldn’t otherwise afford it, and we hope to be able to treat more people this year than we did last, impacting more lives and making an even bigger difference in our community.”
On Friday, February 26, Dr. Shamblott and his staff will provide free dental care to those in need. DFTH began in 2001 as one dentist’s charitable act for the Tampa Bay community. In the years since, it has grown steadily and is now hosted by dental offices across the country. Since its inception, DFTH has given away over $2.5 million in dental work to over 10,500 patients.
With the rising cost of dental and medical services, and the current economic crisis, demand is expected to be greater than ever. Dr. Shamblott is again recruiting other dentists to join him in giving back this year, hoping to serve more patients than ever as the need for this free service continues to grow. This is Dr. Shamblott’s way of giving back to the community, offering care to those who can’t afford it, and providing aid to the growing number of Americans without dental insurance.
Dr. Shamblott and his fellow volunteers will start work at 7:00 a.m. and continue working throughout the day, caring for as many people as they can. Patients will be examined and will receive free fillings or extractions as time permits. Work will be done on a first come, first served basis.
The office gets busier each year during this event, and this year Dr. Shamblott intends to increase efforts to spread the word about the free services. “There are so many individuals who need dental care and can’t afford it. We want them to know that there is somewhere they can go to get help,” says Dr. Shamblott. His office is partnering with local media to call attention to Dentistry from the Heart, and continues to work with religious and social organizations to spread the word.
Each year, Dr. Shamblott finds that “The biggest demand is from people who’ve been hurting for a long time. This is what they need: someone who can do a little work for them at no charge. We get a lot of hugs and we get a lot of kisses – all we ask for in return is a smile and a thank you.”