PATH TO A HEALTHY SMILE
Mission to open new dental clinic
The Downtown Mission will be soon opening the doors to its pay what-you-can dental clinic. The Alan Quesnel Community Dental Clinic — named after the local philanthropist who donated more than $1 million to the clinic and other mission initiatives — is located on the third floor of the Mission’s Wellness Centre at 875 Ouellette Avenue.
“We know that oral health is linked to physical health and of course mental health,” said mission executive director Ron Dunn on Tuesday. “So we are taking this step to offer free or affordable dental services to residents of Essex County.”
Although the clinic is open to everyone, people will be required to fill out a financial survey. Those with no dental coverage and those who have exhausted their dental coverage or have limited benefits will be able to use the centre. “There’s a dental fee guide out there which we will be using at a very discounted rate based on your income, so there is a sliding scale all the way down to free,” Dunn said. “So people experiencing homelessness or have little to no income can get care.”
The fully functioning dental centre will have all the new stateof-the-art equipment found in a regular office including an X-ray machine.
“I think people think the mission is all about homelessness and poverty, which of course we are,” he said. “But it’s amazing to give someone a smile, because often we have a room full of people coming for lunch and many of whom are missing a lot of teeth.” According to the Ontario Oral Health Alliance, 2.3 million people in Ontario cannot afford dental care. It’s reported that 1 in 6 people in our community live in poverty and 1 in 4 have no dental care. The centre is still in the process of hiring a dentist for the centre and St. Clair College dental hygiene students will come in to help. Quesnel said it’s all about giving a helping hand to those less fortunate. “Anytime I can help those who can’t help themselves, I try to do what I can,” Quesnel said. “The centre is important because it’s not just your dental issues, it affects your entire body and people can die from not having proper dental care.” Hours will be Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is already a waiting list of people inquiring about services and appointments can be made starting Monday. People can call 226-6744950 or email Dentalcentre@ downtownmissiom.com