HELPING HANDS DENTAL DAY. Sullivan Family Dentistry, Wal-Mart Drive, held a free dental day on Saturday, with 89 patients receiving free dental care totaling over $22,300. Local businesses contributed $1,000 to help in patient supplies and advertising for the event. Pictured are all of the dental volunteers helping with the free day on Saturday with Dr. John Hamblin.

By James B. Bartle
“We’ve been a part of the Sullivan community for five years and wanted to commemorate this by giving back to the community,” said Dr. John Hamblin, general dentist at Sullivan Family Dentistry.
Sullivan Family Dentistry, 413 Wal-Mart Dr., teamed up with more than 30 volunteers on Saturday to offer free dental care in the “Helping Hands Dental Day,” serving some 89 patients.
The free dental care included fillings, extractions and teeth cleaning.
“I got the idea from some dentistry friends in Florida who conducted a similar program,” said Hamblin. “We were able to call in some friends in the dental care system to volunteer their time and help us with the free program here in Sullivan.”
Hamblin received help from several local donors for the program including the First Presbyterian Church who provided their parking lot and facility, near the dentist office, to stage patients and get them registered for the care program.
“We were hoping to serve about nine to ten patients an hour on Saturday and serve 100,” said Hamblin.
The event took a lot of planning as Sullivan Family Dentistry began planning the event in late October 2010 and really ramped up plans in January.
“As the event got closer, our excitement really increased,” said Hamblin. “We’re pleased to be able to give back to our community and we learn more and more every day on how important dental health is to the overall health of everyone. Good dental health means increased heart health, among many other things.”
Hamblin stated the donation of services for the 89 patients on Saturday made a monetary donation of $22,303.
Hamblin was asked if this would become an annual program.
“This was something we wanted to do in honor of our five-year anniversary, but we will see how things go and determine what happens in the future,” concluded Hamblin.