CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 2

37 Issue 2 | 2018 | I ssues and P eople ❶ People lined up to attend a free dentistry day event held by Dr. Ghamian and Dr. Habib Khoury. ❷ A morning meeting to get the team prepared and motivated for the day. ❸ A patient appreciative of the dental care she received. ❹ Team members were all smiles for the event. ❺ Dr. Ghamian and Khoury’s team and additional volunteers on hand for the free dentistry day. ❻ A face painter and balloon artist entertained patients (and team members) waiting for treatment. some sundries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, etc.) for the event.  Decide what services you will offer. Typically, a patient can choose one of 3 free services: an extraction, a filling or a cleaning. If you would like to provide other services, such as denture repair, contact your lab technicians to see if they can volunteer their services.  For patients who may need additional care than what you can offer on your free dentistry day, have a list of local public dental health clinics and dental/ hygiene schools on hand, outlining where patients can go for further care.  Arrive early and have a morning meeting with all volunteers to review the flow of the day. Discuss where potential delays may happen and try to avert them before they occur. Decide who will greet the patients, how to manage the lineup, and how to triage the patients prior to starting treatment.  Bring snacks for the team members who are volunteering. But also consider providing some snacks and entertainment for the patients in line. The demand on these days can be high, so we’ve engaged the services of a balloon artist and face painter to keep people entertained while they wait.  Above all, have fun with your team of volunteers in treating those in need and enjoy the smiles created that day! The 3 events that we’ve hosted at our office have translated into about $60,000 of free dental care to 150 patients. Our goal is to get other dentists involved, to serve 2,500 patients and provide 1 million dollars of free dental care across Canada. To help meet that goal, we are developing a website (freedentistryday.ca) that will include more information on organizing a free dentistry day at your office. If you would like to give back to your community and host your own event, your event date can be added to the list of upcoming locations on the website, helping to publicize your day. After your event, we invite you to send a group photo of your team, the number of patients treated and the dollar amount of donated dental services. a ❹ ❺ ❻