Richfield Dentist Understands Importance of Giving Back

“I guess you could say it’s about giving back,” said Dr. Woell. Dr. John Woell is a dentist at Dental Health Care Center in Richfield, MN. Along with being a father, grandfather, husband, and dentist, Dr. Woell spends much of his free time volunteering.

For the past eight years, Dr. Woell has traveled to Lima, Peru, as a member of Programa San Francisco De Asis Sonrisa. There, he and the other dentists provide assistance to locals with cleft palates.  “The dental involvement is that we make obturators. I kind of fix what the surgeons have once done on the palates,” said Dr. Woell. The obturators primarily help with speech. “It’s really profound what happens when these kids smile and they see themselves with these teeth again and they can speak and enunciate better,” said Dr. Woell. 

Peru isn’t the only place this dentist spends his time abroad volunteering. Dr. Woell is about to take his fourth trip to Gris Gris, Haiti, in November. “There’s so much work there you could spend the rest of your life working,” he said. While there, he works with a local school on preventative treatment. “We clean their teeth, provide sealant and fluoride, and give them oral hygiene instructions,” he said. This is very important because of the high consumption of raw sugarcane and corn meal. “We’ve seen results in the community and it is very rewarding,” he said.

Dr. Woell also volunteers locally. “Give A Kid a Smile” has been around since 2002. This program gives underserved kids free comprehensive dental care and takes place the first weekend of February each year. “We have our whole staff participate,” he said. They donate their time and materials. ”We’ve done about $10,000 of free dentistry each year,” Dr. Woell said.

The Union Gospel Mission has been serving the greater St. Paul area since 1902. It is open to adults and children three nights each week for dental care. Dr. Woell has been involved with it for the past 15 years. ”I go there maybe half a dozen times a year,” he said. With the high-tech clinic they are able to perform extractions, fillings, and preventative services for those in need. ”It‘s an open door for anybody,” he said.

Whether locally or abroad, Dr. Woell understands the importance of giving back. With years of volunteerism under his belt, he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. ”You get into a good profession like this,” he said, ”and I think it’s a part of our responsibility to help where we can.”