Hopkins dentist offers free dental care for needy people

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.”

“After seeing what we accomplished with our event again last year, we realize there is a great need for Dentistry from the Heart in our community,” said Dr. Scott Shamblott. “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.”

Dr. Shamblott and his team do whatever they can on DFTH day to relieve pain and fix problems. Patients who need ongoing care or have problems that cannot be fixed in one day are referred to community clinics, where they can receive ongoing treatment at low or no cost. “We spend the rest of the year simply running a traditional dental practice,” Dr Shamblott said. “One day is a pretty small thing but we think it makes a difference in the lives of the people who come to us for help.”

“Dentistry from the Heart is a way of giving thanks for our own successes,” Dr. Shamblott said. “We encourage other dentists to join us next year, volunteering their time and lending their skills to this cause. Someday, I’d like to have 50 dentists treat 600 patients, like the founder of Dentistry from the Heart has in Tampa Bay.”

Dr. Shamblott was the first dentist in Minnesota to join Dentistry from the Heart when he hosted his first event in 2007, and Shamblott Family Dentistry is recruiting additional offices to participate on February 26 this year. In 2010, more than 200 practices in 48 states and Canada are expected to hold similar events.