Phoenix residents offered $2M in free dental services at two-day event

PHOENIX — Phoenix resident Joel Cedillos got in line just after midnight on Friday outside the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on the Arizona State Fairgrounds. He was there to get free dental services.

“I’m here to have two of my teeth looked at,” he said Friday morning. “If they can be saved, great. If not, then I’m probably getting them extracted.”

Cedillos is one of the estimated 2,000 people who will receive free dental services as part of the sixth-annual Dental Mission of Mercy.

The event runs Friday and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days, or until they run out of supplies. About 1,500 volunteers, including dentists and hygienists, are helping run the event.

Here’s a look inside the coliseum at the AZ state fairground where at least 2,000 people will receive FREE dental care today and tomorrow #AZMOMcares @KTAR923 pic.twitter.com/WoL0I8k203

— Griselda Nevarez (@GriseldaNevarez) December 8, 2017

Up to $2 million worth of free dental services will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. The services include fillings, extractions, cleanings and a limited amount of dentures.

“We’re providing a full range of dental services,” said Kevin Earle, executive director of the Arizona Dental Association. “We’re really focusing on getting people out of pain or handling any infection they have.”

The idea for the event came after the Arizona State Legislature voted in 2010 to eliminate adult dental benefits from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, also known as AHCCCS. The Legislature voted to restore emergency dental benefits in May.

Earle said large lines to get into the coliseum prove how much need there is for dental care.

“We suggest if someone wants to be treated on Saturday, get in line this evening because there’s a huge line ahead of you,” he said.

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