Reno Dentist Offers Free Care to Those in Need

The parking lot for Sala Family Dentistry in Northwest Reno looked liked like one of those sales at Christmastime where they give away free TVs. People lined up starting Thursday afternoon and waited in the cold all night long. But what they were waiting for was free dental care. That's right for the seventh year in a row Sala Family Dentistry organized Dentistry from the Heart. The had seven dentists, a few specialists, an army of hygienists and staff all on hand volunteering their time and talent to give back to the community. 

"This my favorite day of the year," said Dr. Todd Sala. "It is so great to be helping so many people with everything from extractions to fillings to cleanings to even a few root canals."

He's been a part of the program all seven years. And he's brought in specialists as they've grown. All of the people are volunteers and the supplies, equipment are free as well. 

"We see a lot of kids who have never had dental insurance. And so we see a lot of cavities. Even more cavities now than we did 20 years ago," says Dr. Todd Gray who is a pediatric dentist working with the group. 

Dennis Smith was the first in line. He arrived at 2:30 yesterday afternoon. 

"Yeah, it did seem early, but my daughter brought me blankets and a field jacket and I was toasty. I mean if you are on Social Security and even if you have Medicare but not dental insurance it's very hard to fit dental work into the budget," Smith said. 

There were a lot of patients and a lot of other services offered today. Smith had a crown that had come off...re-sealed.

Zach Johnson of Reno had a tooth pulled.

"I've had this tooth hurting for years now and I can't wait to have it taken care of! This is an amazing opportunity to get dental work done."

In the end they helped more than 125 people today and say they hope to help even more next year.. 

"We feel good about helping, they feel good getting the work done. It's really good all around," Dr. Gray said.