Aspen Dental launches 4th annual MouthMobile tour to provide free dental care to veterans
Aspen Dental’s MouthMobile event in late February at Tampa Crossroads in Tampa, Florida, was celebrated by the veteran community and local leaders as Aspen’s team of dentists and staff volunteers provided dozens of area veterans with free dental care. The event signaled the kickoff of the MouthMobile’s 34-stop journey across the country in support of veterans.
Members of the public who spot the MouthMobile are encouraged to share their pictures to show their support for veterans with the hashtag #ISpytheMouthMobile on Twitter and Facebook.
The MouthMobile is Aspen Dental’s 42-foot long dental office on wheels. It travels state to state giving veterans the dental care they need for a healthy mouth, at no cost. Since 2014, Aspen Dental practices across the country have donated over $7.5 million in dentistry and helped more than 12,000 veterans as part of the Healthy Mouth Movement. The Healthy Mouth Movement includes both the MouthMobile and a nationwide Day of Service, when Aspen Dental practices across the country open their doors on a designated Saturday to provide free care to veterans.
“It is an honor to give back to our nation’s veterans, those who have fought for our nation’s safety,” said Dr. Michael Dickerson, the Aspen Dental doctor who provided care on the MouthMobile in Tampa. “We feel very lucky to be involved with the Healthy Mouth Movement program to help everyone out, and hopefully what we’re doing is making a real difference in these veterans’ lives.”
“Community partners like Aspen Dental instill trust while delivering services that are in demand to our nation's heroes, and Tampa Crossroads is happy to support the mission of the Healthy Mouth Movement,” said Brian Belcher of Tampa Crossroads. “The saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ holds true, and at Tampa Crossroads we often say, ‘It takes a village to get a veteran back on their feet.’ We’re proud to have helped provide a needed service to our local veterans.”
Florida has the third highest veteran population in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and one of the poorest dental health rankings in the country (43 out of 51).
Aspen Dental is committed to improving access to dental care through its 600-plus independently owned practices, many of which are located in dental health professional shortage areas as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In Florida alone, 18 of 67 counties are located in a dental health professional shortage area. With more than 60 Aspen Dental practices currently in Florida, and more than 10 practices set to open in 2017, Aspen Dental doctors and team members are working to make sure more Floridians have access to quality dental care.
