WASHINGTON – Neglecting your teeth can kill you.
Unfortunately, such was the story of Diamonte Driver, a 12-year-old Prince George’s County boy who died in 2007 after an infection from an abscessed tooth spread to his brain.
Because Driver’s mother didn’t have dental insurance or Medicaid coverage, she couldn’t afford the simple tooth extraction that could have saved his life.
The students at Howard University College of Dentistry understand that many Washington-area residents are facing a similar financial strain. Consequently, they are offering free dental care from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the dental school at 600 W. Street NW in Washington.
During the annual dental health fair, which is open to children and adults of all ages, dental students will provide free dental screenings and cleaning and introduce residents to the dental services the college offers at dramatically lower prices than regular dental offices.
Michelle Aguilos, president of the College of Dentistry Student Council, explained that residents can receive lower cost dental care there because third- and fourth-year students perform the service under the guidance of their instructors, all trained dentists.
“You can save as much as a third to a half of what you would normally pay,” Aguilos, a 26-year-old fourth-year student, said, “and you know it’s done right because the faculty are right there for every step in the process.”
The college offers extractions, fillings, crowns, dentures, braces, root canals and pediatric services,” Aguilos said.
“We’re a comprehensive service,” she said.
Aguilos said one of the purposes of the health fair is to create greater awareness around the importance of preventative dental care.
“An infection that starts in your mouth can travel to the rest of your body, which is why we stress the importance of prevention instead of trying to deal with dental care later,” Aguilos said. “Unfortunately, people come when they are in pain. We need them to come sooner.”