SAN ANTONIO – Aspen Dental hosted a free dental clinic for veterans Tuesday at the American GI Forum at 611 North Flores St.
"I avoid customer service, but clearly I'll talk to anybody about anything -- I don't care, I love it. I like people, but it's hard to interact when I want to do this all the time," Army veteran Matt Greco said while covering his mouth.
Greco was previously quoted $6,500 by a dentist to fix his teeth, an amount he said that he couldn't afford. Over time, the pain got worse.
"I ended up going to the VA ER for pain on Saturday. They gave me some pills, but they don't do dental at the VA," Greco said.
Aspen Dental's Mouth mobile clinic didn't always cater to veterans. When the tour first started, it was open to anyone who needed free dental services. But dental officials quickly realized the majority of those showing up were veterans.
All of the dental professionals in the Mouthmobile clinic donate their time. The mobile tour is part of Aspen Dental's "Healthy Mouth Movement." Since 2014, it has helped more 12,000 veterans with free dental care nationwide.
"The main goal today is to address people's chief concerns, so whatever is bothering them, we want to help them with it. Whether it's just a cleaning, they need a tooth extracted, they need a filling, or an exam," said Dr. Daniell Burgmeier, an Aspen Dental dentist.
"It needs to get done because your mouth is your life. If your mouth is broken, you're broken. These guys are helping me out," Greco said.
For more information about the clinic, click here.
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