Guest column: Anderson County Dental Clinic helps those in need

The Anderson County Dental Clinic has been held monthly in Oak Ridge for 30 years and is operated solely by volunteers. This necessary outreach was started by Jeanie Bertram.

“The waiting list has held a constant number of 150 to 200 names for our free services.  Last year we treated 232 patients, with 101 of them being brand-new,” said Bertram. “We extracted 661 teeth last year for a production value for $97,484. Last year we did receive some patient fees and donations from the public totaling $10,000, and we put that right back into our services.”

Dr. Tim Bible, a longtime volunteer dentist, said: “This is so important; these individuals simply have no means to pay for dental care, which is desperately needed. Our clinic currently has five general dentists, two oral surgeons, the University of Tennessee General Dentistry Department volunteers, 12 registered dental assistants, three clinic support staff, and five front office staff who rotate through the clinic in any given year. We are so proud of this wonderful service we provide to our residents.”

“Anderson County is so pleased to provide professional clinical space for this service in the Larry Dickens Building,” said Robin Biloski, Anderson County commissioner and long-time supporter of this service.  “We also thank United Way of Anderson County and the Tennessee Department of Health Safety Net Grant for their financial support.”

To volunteer, donate, or to find out how you might obtain services, call Bertram at (865) 661-2775.