By Kelsey Palmer

kpalmer@jacksonvilleprogress.com



To get in the spirit of giving, one Jacksonville business recently made a great contribution to the local community that will be in the smiles of others for years to come.

On Nov. 20, the Friday before Thanksgiving week, dentists Dr. Larry Folden and Dr. Bradley Westbrook of Family and Cosmetic Dentistry in Jacksonville, along with their entire staff of four dental hygienists, three dental assistants and two office personnel, provided “first come, first served” dental care to approximately 40 patients in a short, eight-hour period during their annual Free Dentistry Day, an event held since 1994.

“For me and the rest of the staff, we recognize how blessed we are to have a job and the abilities we have in dentistry,” said Folden, a 25-year veteran of dentistry. “When people fall on hard times, they might not have the expenses to get dental work done and we want to help them.”

Westbrook, who partnered with Folden at his private practice less than two years ago, said he agreed with Folden.

“A lot of these people are living paycheck to paycheck and they don’t have extra money to pay for dental work,” Westbrook said. “It’s our responsibility as doctors to help those who are less fortunate.”

Though the day was full of renewed smiles, both doctors and the rest of their staff worked intensely with patients between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. with equipment and tools funded by money out of their own pocket.

“We worked straight through with no real breaks,” Folden said. “I’m sure we could’ve worked right into Saturday with the amount of people there, but we had to draw a line so we would know when to stop for the day.”

With a goal to help as many people as possible in the amount of time they had, Folden and Westbrook spent their time working to relieve their patients’ pain and infection.

“We mostly had to focus on the biggest problems, like what’s the main issue or what’s hurting them,” Westbrook said. “We don’t have the time to do an entire mouth rehabilitation so we just try to fix their essential needs. These people just want to get out of pain and we’re happy to help them.”

The most common dental problems both dentists saw throughout the day were large cavities.

“Many people call them ‘bombed out’ teeth, which means they are in really bad shape tooth-wise,” Folden said. “Though we did some fillings and root canals, I would say 50 to 60 percent of the problems we saw that day resulted in the extraction, or removal, of the affected teeth.”

Though it may not be good for their practice, both Folden and Westbrook try to prevent their patients from returning to their office with more dental problems.

“Our goal, not just on free day, but any time we treat a patient, is not just to fix their cavities, but to make sure they don’t get anymore,” Folden said. “We want them to come back for their annual visit to get their teeth cleaned and nothing more.”

Folden said the obvious way to have a healthy smile is through good oral hygiene. However, he feels the best way to steer clear of tooth decay is by making simple dietary changes.

“People need to be careful what they eat and drink, especially soft drinks like Coke, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew and even energy drinks. They are very acidic and can soften tooth enamel, which leads to the formation of cavities,” he said. “When we see a patient coming in on a regular basis, the culprit is most always some sort of soft drink.”

Westbrook agreed, adding how regular, routine brushing three times a day and flossing once a day is also necessary for good oral health.

“I’d say at least 80 percent of adults don’t floss once a day and probably not even once a week,” he said. “We know it’s a hassle, but people need to realize the importance of dental hygiene, and that’s what our office is here to do.”

Though one can expect to find clean teeth in Folden and Westbrook’s Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, both doctors would like their patients and the community to discover something more from their free dentistry events.

“We are only able to do our work through God’s love,” Folden said. “Even though our patients may not be thinking about it when they walk in, we hope in the midst of everything we do to help these people, we can share God’s love with them.”

As for Westbrook, he hopes the rest of Jacksonville will join him and Folden in helping others who may not be able to help themselves.

“I hope by doing this, it will challenge other people and even other businesses to find a place to volunteer, either at church, a soup kitchen, or HOPE (Partners in Health),” Westbrook said. “They will find that in most of the circumstances, it makes an big impact on the community.”