Early on the morning of Friday June 2 , a young man walked across the city of Allentown to seek dental treatment . His goal was to walk to the Agri-Plex in the Allentown Fairgrounds , where the 2023 MOM-n-PA clinic was taking in patients for free dental care . Upon arrival he was greeted by a team that found out he was actually homeless , alone and in pain due to tooth decay . While there for the primary purpose of having his condition treated , he would discover there were caring people ready to not only help , but go above and beyond just treating his immediate concern . After receiving care for his pain , this same man would return the next day and have his teeth replaced by a prosthodontics team of volunteers with big hearts .
Of course this was a “ feel good ” story , but little did the volunteers know this was not the last time this man would make his presence felt . Upon hearing his story Dr . Lauri Passeri , who ran one of the most impressive hospitality areas in the last 10 years of MOM-n-PA , was able to provide this man with a meal . As a thank you for his care , he would spend hours volunteering his own time to help with the daunting task of breaking down and cleaning up the Agri-Plex at the conclusion of the mission . This experience is only one of the many to be found while giving just a few hours of time to MOM-n-PA .
The 2023 MOM-n-PA free dental clinic would serve 1,375 people while doing over 8,528 procedures . This would amount to over $ 1.3 million of donated dental care in 2 days . About 32 % of the patients seen stated they were having pain prior to receiving treatment from this mission . The services provided included dental education , prophylaxis , restorations , pediatric care , root canals , simple and surgical extractions , flippers , denture repairs , and complete dentures . One patient even had overdue orthodontic brackets removed . The mission also included a post-operative service to help patients after the completion of their treatment . A completely volunteer-run
Continued on page 24
JULY / AUGUST 2023 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 23