$54,514 in Free Dentistry

The first people arrived in the dark hours before the dedicated volunteers were ready to go. The first patients were treated at 7 AM and the 84th left with a smile. Everyone who showed up was able to receive dental care. The 53 volunteers were exhausted yet satisfied that they had given their all to help their community.

The volunteers were Dr. Mitchel Friedman, Dr. Julia Cintron, Dr. Aparna Menon, Dr. Jeffrey Zatzkin, Dr. Jared Gelband, Dr. Allan Ruda, Dr. Randall Davis, Dr. Beth DeAngelis, Dr. Kayvon Haghighi, Dr. Raymond Simmons, Dr. Jay Moon, Dr. John Ding, Dr. Michael Girgis, Dr. Shira Gross, Dr. Andrew Morris, Dr. Eleith Brown, Dr. Krisha Verma, Dr. Rima Solanki, Jennifer DeMarco, Laura Schifkovitz, Laura Read, Maria Truzzolino, Keary Quinn, Pauline Howard, Lindsey Wilson, Linda Paris, Roxanne Motley, Amanda Butler, Megan Troy, Takiya Foster, Ashley Smith, Krystina Apice, Noah Schayowitz, Theresa Orndorf, Jessica Lees, Victoria Maglio, Dawn Glenn, Sam Masami Suyama, Michael DeMarco Jr, Ida Whittaker, Carol Huggler, Kim Brooks, Krista Whittaker, Mike DeMarco, Susan Friedman, John Murray and Margo Tikijian. From Rutgers Allied Dental Health students Sandra Tanis, Veronica VanWyke Amaya, Hadeer Hanafy and Marissa Schwerdtfeger.

The donors were Henry Schein Dental, Patterson Dental, Omega Print (Doug Godfrey), Bagel Masters (Darren & Meredith Weinstein), Dunkin Donuts Lincroft (Dominic & Jeff Sequeira), Comcast Spotlight, Brookdale Community College Public Radio, Jersey Mike’s subs (Dave Rich), Ruffino’s Pizza (Vito Ruffino), Pepsi of Asbury Park, JMT Construction (Joseph Tote), Mark Zacharczyk, Michael Strycharz, Ryan Zacharczyk, Aaron Levine, Specialty Stairs & Rails (Lewis Griffin), Sue Roesler, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company (Arlyn & Marty Schayowitz), LaRosa’s (Peter LaRosa) and Watchung Water.

The corporate sponsor is Henry Schein Dental made possible by the generosity and hands on planning and volunteering of Noah Schayowitz.

With the Velscope, volunteers were able to perform advanced oral cancer exams to detect suspicious cell changes under the surface of the skin.

Dentistry From The Heart 2016 Facts: 84 patients seen, 359 procedures performed, $54,514 of free dentistry performed by the 53 volunteers.

“At the 10 events we treated over 1200 patients. Our motto is always Paying it Forward with Charity and Gratitude,” said Dr. Mitchel Friedman, the event sponsor. “Dr Cintron is a native Spanish speaker as were several volunteers. This made the non-English speaking patients feel at ease to explain their dental issues. Our hope is that this continues to be an annual event and that by our efforts, others can be inspired to give back to benefit their community. We were the first to bring Dentistry From The Heart to New Jersey in 2007 and now there are several offices that have their own events to assist those in need. That is personally very gratifying to me.”