Frederick, 79, lives with his wife in Anchorage and is a Marine Corps veteran. He worked as an industrial commercial plumber and took on various odd jobs throughout his career to make ends meet.
Frederick has had several health challenges including being diagnosed with diabetes and heart disease, and his dental health needed attention. It had been several years since Frederick had been to a dentist, he was missing some crowns and had some teeth that had broken off, which was making it painful to eat. He sought help for his dental issues, but was unable to afford the recommended treatment plan. Frederick survives on a small Social Security benefit and struggles to make ends meet. The necessary dental treatment seemed beyond his reach.
How DDS Helped
Fortunately, Frederick applied to the Donated Dental Services (DDS) program and was linked with three generous volunteers. This team included Dr. Charles P. Michael, who provided an exam, cleaning and donated a full upper denture and a lower partial denture, Dr. Jason Dashow, an oral surgeon who extracted 14 teeth, and GKY Dental Arts, who fabricated a full upper denture and a lower partial denture at no cost.
“I am so grateful for the dental work I received. Dr. Michael was a great dentist. I am able to smile again and eat without pain. Thank you for your help.”
— Frederick, DDS Patient
“I love providing good oral health care to people and hearing the patient’s stories and watching them grow.”
— Dr. Charles P. Michael, DDS Volunteer
Alaska Donated Dental Services (DDS) is a program of Dental Lifeline Network, a national humanitarian organization and a strategic partner of the ADA, 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. Nationally, 16,000 dentists and 3,500 laboratories volunteer for DDS.
Learn more about volunteering or to learn about DDS in your state, visit our state pages.
