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Donated Dental Care Attracts Big Crowds

Patients outside the Periodontal Associates of North Florida clinic waited to be called inside for treatment.
Tom Flanigan
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

For the 6th year, more than 100 Tallahassee dental professionals were giving away their services on Saturday, Feb. 2. The "Dentistry from the Heart" event attracted hundreds of patients.

Patients outside the Periodontal Associates of North Florida clinic waited to be called inside for treatment.
Credit Tom Flanigan
/
The Florida Channel
Patients outside the Periodontal Associates of North Florida clinic waited to be called inside for treatment.

Those patients were already lined up when the doors of Periodontal Associates of North Florida opened Saturday morning. And as noon approached, clinic partner Dr. Walt Colon said business remained brisk.

"We're going to shoot for 150 and if we have doctors and staff members still volunteering and there are people still here, we'll take care of how many stay," he remarked.

Patients had their choice of a cleaning, filling or extraction. This year, there was also denture services available. The clinic's Dr. John Dozier said the event keeps growing.

"The patients are so appreciative," he observed as a seemingly endless parade of people were ushered into the clinic's various treatment rooms. "Especially for those who can't receive care anywhere (else), but can come here and we find from year to year that this Dentistry from the Heart is growing with both community support and appreciation."

He added plans for next year's Dentistry from the Heart are already in the works.

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