Editorial
Front Page - Friday, October 30, 2009
Mercy Dental Clinic fights urban decay
David Laprad
When a tooth hurts, nothing else matters. For many people, the solution is a trip to the dentist. But when someone can’t pay for the services, he must often live with the pain.
Since 1985, low-income residents in Chattanooga have had a better option: the Dr. William Roy Mercy Dental Clinic. Founded by its namesake, the treatment center serves people who do not have insurance or access to basic dental care.
“Right now, we’re a pain management clinic,” says Allison Taylor, clinic coordinator and a registered dental assistant. “That means we take out the teeth that hurt. And we’re very busy.”
Dentists from the Chattanooga Area Dental Society volunteer to work at the clinic on a Friday morning once or twice a year, numbing gums, pulling teeth and providing relief.
As coordinator, Taylor takes dozens of phone calls a day from people seeking help. She also schedules appointments, conducts interviews with patients and does all of the preliminary paperwork.
In addition, Taylor keeps in touch with local dentists, attending their meetings and encouraging them to donate their time. “It’s not easy for them because they have a practice to run and Friday is their day off,” Taylor says. “It’s hard to give up your one day with your family.”
Nevertheless, Taylor has recruited the help of about 30 dentists. And while she works them hard during their morning at the clinic — Mercy performs about 20 or 30 extractions each Friday — she says the payoff in gratitude is worth their time and effort.
“They’re helping someone in dire need versus someone who has insurance to cover everything,” says Taylor. “It’s not unusual for a patient to stand up and hug the dentist or shake his hand.”
Mercy can’t help everyone who needs its services, as it attracts a lot of high-risk patients with complicated medical issues, but they have helped people other treatment centers have turned away.
“A patient brought in her husband who had a stint in his heart. Other dentists had refused to see him because they felt he needed an oral surgeon,” Taylor says. “But I let his personal physician know what needed to be done, took his blood pressure and then let him know we’d be able to take care of him. He was so happy.”
Although Taylor has the help of her volunteer dentists and the occasional dental student, Mercy is otherwise a one-woman show. As she talks about the clinic, for example, two patients sit in dental chairs, filling in medical history forms.
Taylor will take X-rays of each one’s teeth before they leave.
X-rays aren’t cheap and the services Mercy provides aren’t automatically free. Rather, Taylor calculates each patient’s cost using a sliding scale based on his or her income. Since the clinic sees a lot of patients on disability or some form of Social Security, this can amount to substantial savings for people who couldn’t otherwise afford dental services.
But for Taylor, helping people isn’t just a job but also her calling in life. “We’re a faith-based organization,” she says. “We serve those who are in need because that’s what Christ taught us to do.”
As Taylor returns to her patients, she greets each one with a smile. Soon, Mercy will be able to give them the ability to flash their own set of healthy teeth, as the clinic plans to begin doing in denture impressions in the future.
“They need to eat. They need to smile,” she says. “And they’re going to look for work, so we want to provide them with the means to not only look better but also be self sufficient.”
For more information about Mercy, visit hope4theinnercity.org and click on the link to the clinic’s Web page. Low-income individuals and families in need of emergency care can apply Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 1800 Roanoke
Ave.
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