http://ipraudio.interlochen.org/FreeDental.mp3
The waiting room was full, a line out the door at 8:00 Wednesday morning at Deerhaven Family Dentistry. People travelled from all over the region, from places such as Cadillac and East Jordan, to be at the dentist before the doors opened for an annual one-day free clinic in Traverse City.
Many people in this in packed waiting room were waiting outside for hours before the office opened and some will have to wait as long as six hours more for treatment.
A Top Priority
Jamie Norkowski was one of the first to arrive, one of the first to get treatment, despite an early morning accident that left her with what feels like a dislocated shoulder.
"Got up this morning, slipped on some ice coming out, shoulder nailed my porch when I fell down, so it put it right out of place," she says from the dentist chair. "But, seen as how I've been dealing with these so long, I really wanted to get these taken care of before I got my shoulder taken care of."
The 32 year old kept her plans, - met up with a friend in Kalkaska, and got to the Traverse City office by5:15 am. She hasn't been to the dentist since she was a teen and now she has major problems. Today she's having a couple wisdom teeth pulled, along with a couple other teeth that are so badly decayed they're beyond repair.
"I've been in pain constantly for the last, probably, month - off and on for the last six months. I probably should have had it pulled, or at least filled, a year, year-and-a-half ago," she says.
Strained Finances And Frazzled Nerves
Jamie Norkowski's being seen by Oral Surgeon Wayne Olsen, from Grand Traverse Oral Surgery. He says every dentist in town is all-too aware of how many people in northern Michigan regularly forego dental care. He actually volunteers his time every month, treating patients through the Traverse Health Clinic, which can work with patients to take care of ongoing dental needs.
Wednesday morning at Deehaven, he was seeing a lot of people like Jamie who have been neglecting their teeth and now have serious problems. He says much of the neglect is because of money. But Olsen says nerves also clearly play a role.
"Everyone, let's face it, is nervous when they go to the dentist, and they see a 6'4", bald oral surgeon, they're even more nervous than normal," he says. "The term easy, painless dentistry is probably over-used. But that's our goal. Especially for some of these people, I think, even need a little bit extra tender loving care."
Turning Folks Away
Out in front, Office Manager Beth Nowosacki says she can tell many of the patients need the help just by looking at their teeth while she's standing at the counter. She had checked in 69 patients by 8:00 am.
"I also know there's a lot of people who can't even make it into town, if they can't even take the bus," she says. "I had one lady I had to turn away at 8:30and she now has to wait three hours to take the bus home.
"So that's hard to turn somebody away like that. That's not the shocking part, but that weighs heavy on my heart when I have to turn people away already within 30 minutes of the door opening," she says.
Young Patients
She also says there are more kids in the waiting room this year, a good thing, actually, if it means more children, especially ages 8 to 12, will get care.
"Their teeth are developing. They're getting their adult teeth in and, if that child doesn't have proper dental cleanings, the teeth get decay in them," she says. "We have to pull one tooth already on a 10 year old. We have to pull an adult tooth. So that weighs heavy on my heart too."
Down the hall 12-year-old Bailey Dinger is getting her first cleaning in 8 years. She would have been about four years old the last time she sat in a chair like this.
"Kinda scary, intense," she describes the experience.
"It wasn't too bad, was it sweetie?" asks Hygienist Kim Weber.
"No, it wasn't."
Bailey came in for help from the Thompsonville area together with her mom and a 22-year-old sibling, all of whom needed care.
The hygienist thinks Bailey probably has six small cavities. The dentist will be in shortly to have a look.
"And he's going to check to see of those areas are cavities or something not-quiet. And then we're going to put fluoride on them," she explains to Bailey and her mom.
But if they are cavities, unfortunately, they won't be filled during this one-day event. There won't be time, with the waiting room overflowing.