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Dentists to provide free care on Saturday
By Blaine Crimmins, bcrimmins@starlocalnews.com
After 30 years of serving the dental needs of residents in The Colony and beyond, Dr. Bill Manning recently realized it was time to, as the saying goes, pay it forward.
"The community has been really good to me. I think it's important at some point in your life to begin giving back to those that mean so much to you," he said.
In partnership with fellow The Colony dentist Dr. Richard Seidler and the nonprofit organization Dentistry from the Heart, Manning's giving-back will take the form a free dental care clinic from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at his practice, 4200 Main St., at the corner of Main and Cougar Alley. The clinic is for members of the community 18 years old or older who cannot otherwise afford dental care. Services will include extractions, fillings or cleanings, and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Seidler will be seeing patients from 8 a.m. to noon at his location, 5000 Main St., at the corner of Main and South Colony Boulevard. Assisting both Manning and Seidler will be Dr. Travis Campbell from Prosper, and Drs. Amit Patel, Don Steinberg, and Regan Sales, all of Carrollton.
Manning said he's also garnered the support of eight dental hygienists and about seven dental assistants, all of whom will be volunteering their time to help see as many patients as possible on Saturday.
Since he began to organize the event, "it has just snowballed," Manning said. "It is gratifying to see all the people coming out to lend a hand with this project."
The impetus for the clinic came some years ago when Manning talked with other doctors who had conducted similar Dentistry from the Heart events.
"The other doctors said they felt so amazing after having worked strenuously hard all day long for people who had no means to have dental work done," he said. "They raved on about it and I thought it's time we do something like that."
One of those doctors told Manning that he didn't sleep well the night before, that he had no idea what to expect, and was worried that no one would show up. It turned out, however, that over 500 clients show up.
"He said the sad part was that we weren't able to handle them all," Manning said, adding that the clinic could only see about 150 patients despite working all day long. Manning said he sees an average of about 40 patients a day in his practice. "I'm looking forward to it with excited trepidation."
In addition to the four dentists from out of town, the local Wal-Mart and Big Lots are providing bottled water and chairs for attendees. Chik-fil-a will be providing free food for the dental staff.
Patients are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather, to bring chairs, water, and snacks as they will be outside waiting to be seen.
Dentistry from the Heart is a registered non-profit organization supported by a network of volunteer dental practices across the United States and into Canada. The main goal is to spread the spirit of giving by providing free dental care to those in need, according to a release.
For information on Saturday's clinic, call Ridgepointe Dental at 972-625-4746 or Seidler Family Dentistry at 972-370-0223.
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