Recently, I did a post about working on getting my teeth fixed and going to the NCMOM free dental clinic. I have been very fortunate to be able to attend 3 of the NCMOM free dental clinics over the past 3 to 4 months. If you need dental work and cannot afford it, you may benefit from going to one of their free dental clinic.
My experience at all three clinics has been nothing short of great! The volunteers, dentists, hygienist and all the other people that oversee each clinic are all extremely friendly and very helpful. Yes, you have to be willing to do what it takes to be seen and make sure you fall in the income brackets to be eligible for the services they offer.
This post is to try to help folks understand how the NCMOM free dental clinics work. Since I have been attending I have heard such negative statements made from people that seem to be ill informed about these clinics. First, the services are for anyone that qualifies on their income scale. Not just people out of work. Not just illegals. The clinics have guidelines to follow and if you fall in the guidelines correctly then you can receive the services they offer. These offers include cleanings, fillings, extractions, dentures, partials and crowns. But please note that the only offers that are at each clinic are cleanings, fillings, and extractions. The others may or may not be offered. You have to do a little work and check their schedule. They will list what will be offered at that particular clinic.
They also post the time that the clinics will start seeing patients. Now the thing is they can only service so many people, so it is a first come first serve basis. Having attended three of these clinics myself, I can tell you that you must show up very early and have the patience to wait. At each clinic, I was in line the day before the clinic was scheduled to start and stayed all night to ensure my spot. By doing so, I was seen and received the treatments that I needed done at each clinic. I have read people stating "only illegals get free dental help", "unemployment can't be down if there is a free dental clinic in town", "I showed up the day they were to have the free dental clinic and they weren't letting anyone else in, why?"
So, statements like those are the reason for this post. Anyone can receive treatment from the free dental clinics as long as they qualify under the income chart. Unemployed or employed, it all depends on the income chart. Yes, the lines are long. Their are so many people that just cannot afford to go to a dentist on a regular basis. You have to be willing to do what is necessary to receive the help being offered. Please don't make negative comments or statements on things that you have no idea how they operate.
Being in recovery has taught me to look at things a little differently than I use to. I have learned that if something is worth having then it is worth doing the footwork to get it. No, it was not an easy road to be on getting the dental treatments that I have received at the clinics. With the health issues I have and deal with on a daily basis, I have paid the price physically in order to receive the dental care I needed. Having to stay overnight and sleep in a chair put me in the bed for days after I got home from the clinics. But it all has been worth every painful moment so that I can eat with out hurting. I can smile again without feeling ashamed of my teeth. Yes, things worth having are, this is just my experience, harder to get. You have to jump through hoops. Sometimes it is a hoop you don't feel you should have to go through but everyone else has done it, what makes you, me, so special to think we don'r have to jump that hoop.
So, I am a citizen that is unemployed and I show up as early as possible for things I know I need, or want, but cannot afford any other way. There was a time that I would not humble myself 'that low' to get something free. Today, I know that being humble is not the same as humility. Humble is knowing when I need to admit that I cannot do what is necessary by myself, I must have help. We all have some amount of pride about ourselves, but there does come a time when our pride must be put on a shelf and ask for help. To me, this is how I humble myself. There are many things that I have had to wait on or go through to receive the help that I need on a daily basis. Please don't get the wrong impression of me, if I can afford it then I do pay out of pocket like everyone else. But the amount of work that I have had done would have been something that I just could not afford.
So, this recovering addict request that in the future before you make a statement about or on something that you have no idea as to what is truly going on, do your research on the subject. This helps you to make statements in an intelligence way. Know the facts, and not just what someone else has said. There are those that will tell you one thing while all the time they just wanted something from you. You just have to know for yourself what the truth is.
These clinics are not 'fly by night' setups. There are trained people. Dentist from the surrounding area donating their time to help someone. They are very helpful and professional in nature. They volunteer their time because they want to, not because they have to! They help thousands and thousands of people each year. They are a huge credit to the communities that raise the money in order to host a clinic. So, please, for me and yourself, be better informed of what is going on. What the 'true' facts are.
It has been an experience that I never will forget. If you are thinking of attending a NCMOM free dental clinic, check the location and time and what will be offered. It is a very humbling experience for anyone that has to depend on a free dental clinic instead of a regular dentist that sees you on a regular basis.
Are you willing to do what is necessary?
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