Although she had two of her wisdom teeth removed about a decade ago, Katie Wallengren has spent years with the other two because she couldn't pay for the extraction.
"I just haven't been able to afford the other two," said Wallengren, of Oxnard.
On Monday, Wallengren was among the dozens of individuals who received free dental care at the California Dental Group office in Port Hueneme. The annual effort was inspired by Dr. Kamran Sahabi, owner of California Dental Group, who noticed many residents in the community needed dental care but couldn't afford it.
"This is helping me," said Wallengren, noting she has one daughter and one stepdaughter. "It costs like $1,000 per month for them to be in school, so I can't afford dental services. So for this to happen is pretty amazing."
The free dental services included fillings, extractions, treatments for toothaches and cleanings. They were offered on a first-come first-served basis from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and by the end of the day, 150 patients had been seen, according to Bebe Ruiz, scheduling coordinator at the Port Hueneme office.
Ylda Quintana, of Oxnard, was one of the first in a long line of people that stretched around the side of the building outside the dental office.
"Last year I saw a big line and today I was one of the first ones," said Quintana, who came in for fillings and treatment for a gum problem. "I'm so excited to be here because this is very important. We don't have a lot of income in my family so I'm going to take advantage of this."
Gustavo Rivera, a dental assistant at California Dental Group, donated his time Monday taking x-rays and helping with treatments.
"Dr. Sahabi does this out of the kindness of his heart," said Rivera, of Oxnard, noting the Port Hueneme office has hosted the free event annually since it opened three years ago.
"First and foremost I work for the company and I don't mind giving back to the community," Rivera said. "I'm a resident of the community, so whatever I can give back to people is awesome, especially during these times with the holidays coming and a lot of people don't have jobs."
Thayer Hussein, an associate dentist who lives in Anaheim, also donated his time for the cause.
"We're trying to help the community and we gain so much appreciation back from them," Hussein said. "Many, many times I'll see people with pain but can't afford treatment. We love it when we make their day, especially if they're having pain and can't afford to go to the dentist. It's hundreds of thousands of dollars that we're giving in service."
California Dental Group has several offices that have provided free dental services for many years, including locations in Glendale, North Hollywood, Tustin, Whittier, Eagle Rock and Upland, said Bebe Ruiz, scheduling coordinator at the Port Hueneme office.
"We've been doing this just to help out the community and the less fortunate that's unable to afford treatment," said Ruiz, of Oxnard. "Dr. Sahabi is really big on giving back to the community. And it really does help them a lot — the majority of them ... just have no way, no means, of getting some type of dental treatment. So they are very happy we do this for them."
Source: http://www.vcstar.com/news/local/port-hueneme/150-get-free-dental-work-at-port-hueneme-clinic-245dd6cb-d1bb-436d-e053-0100007f6fee-353103281.html
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