NORWICH — On Saturday, Sept. 19, from 8 a.m. to noon, at both the Norwich and Endwell offices, Progressive Dental will once again open its doors to the community during Progressive Dental's 31st Doctors With a Heart Day.

The long-running initiative offers essential dental services at no cost to individuals who may be facing hardship or lacking access to dental care. The event is first come, first served, and all ages are welcome. Patients do not need to be current Progressive Dental patients to attend.

For Dr. Sonny Spera, owner of Progressive Dental, the motivation behind the event is simple.

“What keeps us committed is just having the intention of helping out your neighbors and those most in need of care that can't get it. I think it's just a natural consequence of being a provider, a doctor, a dentist,” Spera said. “Seeing all the happy smiling faces that you're able to create a great moment for them.”

How the day works

The day of the event, patients typically begin lining up early, sometimes as early as 5 a.m., to secure a spot in line. Registration usually begins around 7 a.m., depending on volunteer availability.

“It's an easy registration process,” said Lauren Pecka, Progressive Dental's public relations coordinator. “We ask them to fill out a simple medical history form and some personal information just so we can put them in our system and they're assigned a number essentially in line.”

The line is divided into two groups: those there for a cleaning who can be seen by a dental hygienist and those who have expressed a specific concern and need to see the doctor.

“The most challenging part of providing high-quality care is you have to diagnose every single person individually. So initially it's triage. You've got to figure out what's their chief complaint, what's their problem, what can you do in a procedure that can be completed in one visit,” said Dr. Spera. “We have a limited amount of things that we're able to do because we can't do incomplete work. We're only going to do work that's in its final finished product.”

All services provided at Doctors With a Heart Day must be completed in a single visit. Treatments they can typically administer include cleanings, exams, fluoride treatments, fillings, extractions and minor appliance adjustments. They won't be doing treatments like root canals, crowns or dentures that require multiple visits.

The Norwich office expects to treat 70 to 90 patients during the four-hour event, with similar numbers in Endwell.

To run the free dental day, dentists, hygienists, assistants and even family members and patients volunteer each year to help. At the Norwich office, around 20 to 25 people volunteer to make the day happen.

Changing lives in a single morning

The impact of providing moments of free dental care often extends beyond the initial appointment. Patients leave with renewed confidence and improved health.

“You can make a huge difference in someone's life by removing an infection or fixing that front tooth that's chipped and they have a job interview,” said Dr. Spera. “You can change someone's life in a very short time.”

He recalled treating a young boy whose front teeth were severely abscessed.

“He was probably four years old, cute as a button,” Spera said. “I took them [the teeth] out and I just remember him turning and saying thank you, Dr. Spera. It was precious and changed a kid's life.”

Another patient who was preparing for a job interview received a repair to a chipped front tooth at Doctors With a Heart Day. Spera said, “We were able to fix it and make it look nice and she gave me a big hug afterwards and to see that smile on her face is just priceless.”

“That tooth could be the reason they can't eat their favorite food. It could be the reason they're no longer smiling or feel confident to, you know, speak to someone. And if we can do a little filling or we can take out that tooth or get them out of pain, it's amazing what that little impact can do for someone's life long term,” said Pecka.

Pecka emphasized that some patients may arrive nervous or embarrassed, especially if they have not gone to the dentist in some years. “I would say don't even sweat it. Don't even think about it because everyone there is so welcoming. It's absolutely a judgment-free zone. We want to do what's best for you. We want everyone to feel welcome,” she said.

Beginning the tradition and looking ahead

Dr. Spera initiated the free dental day at Progressive Dental after being inspired by an Iowa dentist who started Doctors With a Heart Day in 1984, encouraging health care providers to donate one day of free services each year. Progressive Dental adopted the mission locally in 1995 and has since provided over $1.4 million in free dental care to community members across its offices.

“We've been doing it once a year ever since. We've donated ourselves, we've donated about 1.45 million dollars in dental care to anyone in need,” said Pecka.

Progressive Dental hopes to expand the event to additional locations as staffing allows. Spera said more volunteers, rather than funding, is the key to serving even more patients.

“It's volunteer, it's staff, it's people, it's team, it's qualified hygienists, it's licensed hygienists, it's qualified dental assistants and then just support staff,” he said. “The most important thing is that we're here, the doctors and the team at Progressive Dental, to help you out with whatever dental concerns you may have; it could be big, it could be small, but we're there to help make your day and your life a little bit better.”