Free dental care offered at UVA-Wise through Mission of Mercy

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Dental students will be volunteering with a free dental clinic at the UVA-Wise Convocation Center next week. This marks the clinic's 26th anniversary.

According to a release shared by the Virginia Dental Association Foundation (VDAF), the Mission of Mercy dental clinic is coming to Wise from Friday, July 18, to Saturday, July 19, offering free preventative, restorative and surgical dental care to residents living in the southwest Virginia area.

Mission of Mercy operates from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and patients are encouraged to arrive early.

Pre-registration begins at noon on Thursday, July 17.

“We look forward to returning to Wise County to serve the community. If you haven’t been to the dentist in more than six months or are experiencing oral pain, we hope you’ll join us next month. We’re grateful for our incredible volunteer dental teams who will provide compassionate care to everyone who joins us.”  Tara Quinn, Executive Director of the Virginia Dental Association Foundation

The nonprofit organization said that care will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and patients will have access to free dental services including cleanings, fillings, oral surgery and x-rays at the two-day event.

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the dental clinic, which was first started in Wise by Dr. Terry Dickinson.

VDAF said they expect about 300 dentists, dental professionals and support volunteers from the Virginia Dental Association, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and community partners to attend the event.

The association said oral health is improving. Data from the Mission of Mercy shows that in 2024, dentists conducted 989 tooth extractions, compared to 3,368 extractions in 2016, a 70% decrease.