Volunteers from various backgrounds pitch in at dental clinics

LAURIE EDWARDS | Laker Weekly

April Bowles, daughter of part-time lake residents Russell and Kelly Bowles, volunteered this month at Harvey Dentistry for a free dental clinic. The 18-year-old plans to attend college to be a dental assistant or hygienist.

The first time April Bowles went to the dentist's office, she was so terrified, she bit the dentist's hand. Bowles said she's never really gotten over the sinking feeling people often associate with going in for check-ups and cleanings, but the 18-year-old said she hopes to make a career out of doing the work herself.

Bowles, whose parents Russell and Kelly Bowles have a vacation home at the lake, has been training for about a year and earned additional experience volunteering as a dental assistant at Lake Christian Ministries' free dental clinics. The clinics were held Aug. 6, 13 and 20 at Harvey Dentistry of SML in Hardy.

"It was amazing," said Bowles. "Everyone who got assistance was very thankful."

Bowles recently graduated from Cosby High School in Chesterfield, where she also took a dental assisting class at Chesterfield Technical Center. She plans to further her education in dentistry and become a certified dental assistant or hygienist.

Bowles said she enjoyed meeting dental professionals at the free dental clinics. One of those dental assistants was Ona Blankenship of Rocky Mount who has been working at Harvey Dentistry for three years. She is one of three dental assistants from Harvey -- including Cindy Ayles and Vickie Mathis -- who volunteered.

Blankenship volunteered at the free dental clinics held last year as well. She said most of the clients who came through the clinic needed extractions or restorative work. Some hadn't been to a dentist in years. Their stories touched Blankenship.

"We had a patient this year that the doctor was telling him about needing to take some ibuprofen," she recalled. "He started crying because he couldn't afford ibuprofen."

Blankenship said it upsets her that while there are various programs available to assist low-income people with medical treatment, there is little help for dental treatment.

"I think it's a really, really good idea for the community and all communities to put something like this together at least once a year," said Blankenship.