An estimated $1.18 million in charitable dental care was provided to 1,977 children and adults during 2,072 patient visits at the fifth Wisconsin Dental Association and WDA Foundation Mission of Mercy held June 28 and 29 at Badger High School in Lake Geneva.
Patients included 38 Special Olympics Wisconsin athletes. Individuals and families facing barriers to dental care sought treatment at the charitable event. The first patient arrived more than 36 hours in advance and slept in her vehicle Wednesday night in the Walmart parking lot before setting up a lawn chair outside the clinic entrance at 6:30 a.m. June 27.
Clinic doors opened at 5:30 a.m. June 28 and 29 with care concluding by 5 p.m. both days. A total of 8,016 dental procedures were performed, including 1,450 fillings, 1,846 teeth extracted, 719 cleanings, 823 sealant and fluoride treatments and 32 root canals. Multiple dental labs worked with volunteer technicians to create 100 partial dentures.
A Lake Geneva who was the 10,000th Mission of Mercy got several extractions and a partial denture in the front.
The man exclaimed, “I’ve got my smile ability back,” and returned June 30 as a volunteer to help dismantle the clinic.
This year’s 1,224 volunteers came from 187 Wisconsin communities. They included 228 WDA dentists, along with dental hygienists and assistants, Marquette University School of Dentistry students and faculty, Spanish and American Sign Language translators and general volunteers.
