Whether you like or loathe a trip to the dentist’s office environment, individuals pearly whites will need tending to 1 way or an additional.
It is why a former brick-and-mortar office dental hygienist started a nonprofit business to improved serve these with dental care desires in her local community.
Dental hygienist Amber Lombardi is founder of the Mainely Teeth dental care nonprofit based mostly in Portland, Maine.
Right after graduating from the College of New England, and then Southern New Hampshire University as a master’s prospect in general public overall health, Lombardi commenced doing work in the field of dentistry, she told Fox News Electronic.
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Through all those a long time, the training dental hygienist mentioned she would work in a traditional dentist office environment even though also contributing her services to other nonprofits and dental clinics all around the state.
“I would go into colleges, nursing houses, people’s homes and had this real passion for assembly people today in which they had been at — doing what I call ‘street dentistry’,” she said.
This is how she explained she commenced looking at firsthand how a great deal correct dental care consideration was desired by many.
Lombardi made a decision to open up a nonprofit business named Mainely Teeth, to supply dental care free of charge of cost to all those in have to have — focusing typically on pediatrics and particular requirements people.
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But when the pandemic strike in 2020, Lombardi resolved to open up it up to any person who desired care.
“We are hoping to crack down limitations to give individuals the obtain to excellent, compassionate dental care, which we feel must be a suitable and a privilege,” she claimed.
The group is now in 87 distinct websites across the point out of Maine — including nursing properties, colleges, veteran facilities and other locations.
“I wanted [something] that was essentially taking a health care provider to your door.”
Just lately, nevertheless, the firm created a cellular dental treatment facility to enable it to travel through the point out and support as a lot of persons in vulnerable regions as possible.
“I essential [something] that was in essence using a physician to your door,” she mentioned about the development of the cellular dental treatment unit.
Lombardi stated the cell clinic, driven by a Ford F-150 Powerboost truck, can have up to four dental technicians working on consumers at one particular time — and will allow the organization to present dental care throughout the state.
The F-150 Professional Electricity onboard attribute enables the truck to electricity the cellular dental treatment unit.
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“By getting this clinic and driving to these web-sites and parking, we now have a place for folks to access that [dental care],” she explained to Fox News Digital.
The dental hygienist explained the truck will visit nursing households. Citizens can wheel their chair proper into the cellular truck and have dental operate carried out.
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The truck is also taken to colleges to go to students and children who need dental support — allowing Mainely Tooth to serve 20% more sufferers than it would devoid of the dentistry on wheels capability.
In just the final yr, the cell clinic has served above 2,000 individuals across Maine.
And indeed, despite the fact that the numbers are a symbol of an accomplishment, Lombardi claims it’s not ample.
“I can sit with it and see how astounding that is, but a part of me that keeps me heading each individual day continue to suggests it is not plenty of,” she claimed about the achievements of the nonprofit.
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Lombardi explained that moving forward, the business hopes to serve the “gaps” within the local community to create options for family members that may possibly will need additional extensive dental care — including surgical treatment and much more.
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