DENVER – May 24, 2019 – Augusta, ME – Volunteers in Dental Lifeline Network (DLN) • Maine’s Donated Dental Services (DDS) program recently exceeded $5 million in comprehensive dental treatment. Thanks to the generosity of volunteer dentists and laboratories, people with disabilities or who are elderly or medically fragile were able to receive dental care they needed but could not afford. Dental Lifeline Network • Maine was founded in 1999 in conjunction with the Maine Dental Association, and receives financial support from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Dancing with the Dentists fundraising event.
Dr. Dean Tourigny is chair of Dental Lifeline Network • Maine, Secretary for the Maine Dental Association, and an active DDS volunteer. “I am so proud of the wonderful dedication of all of the DDS volunteer dentists,” said Dr. Tourigny. Since the program launched, more than 277 volunteer dentists and 110 dental laboratories volunteered their time and resources to serve 1,444 people in ME.
Due to lengthy wait lists, applications are only being accepted in Hancock, Knox and Waldo counties. Maine residents from those counties, or those who qualify as medically fragile, can apply for the program at www.DentalLifeline.org/Maine. Applicants must lack adequate income to pay for dental care and:
- Have a permanent disability, or
- Are elderly (age 65 or older), or
- Qualify as medically fragile
A DDS volunteer dentist sees patients in their own office on their own schedule and determines his or her own treatment plan. The Coordinator serves as liaison between the dentist’s staff and the patient, ensures that the patient arranges for assistance from specialists and laboratories and handles all paperwork. To volunteer or apply for Maine DDS, visit www.DentalLifeline.org/Maine/ or contact Carol Rioux, Maine Coordinator, at 207.620.8276.
Dental Lifeline Network is a national dental charity providing access to comprehensive dental care for people with disabilities or who are elderly or medically fragile and have no other way to get help. Through the overwhelming generosity of 15,000 volunteer dentists, 3,500 volunteer laboratories, dental products manufacturers and distributors and local communities, DLN transforms lives through the delivery of life-sustaining and even lifesaving care. These volunteers have provided over $392 million in dental treatment to more than 123,000 people in all 50 states and the District of Columbia since the start of the first program in Colorado 34 years ago.
Contact:
Clair Diones
Dental Lifeline Network
VP, Marketing and Communications
cdiones@dentallifeline.org
