The first people arrived at 5 a.m. in the dry, cold early morning. The team of Newman Springs Dental Care had prepared the office the night before to be ready to go. The first patients were treated before 7 a.m. and the 135^th left with a smile at 4:00 p.m.. Everyone who showed up by noon was able to receive dental care. The 31 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. Jeffrey Zatzkin, Dr. John Frattellone, Dr. Allan Ruda, Dr. Kayvon Haghighi, Dr Beth DeAngelis, Dr. Randy Davis, Dr. Dan Winston, Dr. Lauren Picciotto, Jennifer DeMarco, Jean Morris, Erica Loren, Laura Read, Quinn Kowal, Keary Bennett, Monique Sheary, Linda Paris, Roxanne Motley, Amanda Butler, Noah Schayowitz, Colleen Carey, Marcy Buckler, Stefanie Thomas, Ida Whittaker, Tricia McHugh, Kim Brooks, Melissa Muth, Mike DeMarco, Mike Strycharz and Allison Alanya

The donors were J&J Morris Construction (Jean & John Morris), Henry Schein Dental, Patterson Dental, Dentsply (Jessica Vukovich), Omega Print (Doug Godfrey), Bagel Masters (Darren & Meredith Weinstein), Dunkin Donuts Lincroft (Dominic & Jeff Sequeira), Comcast Spotlight, Brookdale Community College Public Radio, Viamedia (advertising sales representatives for Verizon FiOS), POH Oral Health Products, LED Dental Velscope, Kalmed Dental Products, Joyce’s (Neil Givens), Jersey Mike’s subs (Dave Rich), Aleo’s Pizza, Cypress Café, Pepsi of Asbury Park and Blue Mountain Water.

Marcy Buckler of LED Dental, developer the Velscope, was on hand to add her expertise. With the Velscope, volunteers were able to perform advanced oral cancer exams to detect suspicious cell changes under the surface of the skin. After consultation with the oral surgeons on hand, several people were offered free follow up care after the event.

Dentistry From The Heart 2012 Facts:

• 135 patients seen
• 540 procedures performed
• $53,222 of free dentistry performed by the 31 volunteers.

Recent parents brought their 2-day old new born because they both had been suffering with tooth aches.

A homeless couple appreciated the meal offered by volunteers after they received relief from painful infections.

“With such a great need in our community, one day is a pretty small thing; however we hope that we made a difference in the lives of those we treated. At the six events we treated over 800 patients. Our motto is always Paying it Forward with Charity and Gratitude,” said Dr. Mitchel Friedman, the event sponsor.

“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.”