UB Dental to offer free care to WNY vets in honor of Veterans Day

The University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine will host the fifth “Dentistry Smiles on Veterans,” an annual program that welcomes local veterans to receive a day of free dental screenings, cleanings, extractions, restorations and denture repairs.

The program – a partnership between UB Dental, the New York State Dental Association, the New York State Dental Foundation and the Eighth District Dental Society – will provide free dental care to nearly 200 Western New York veterans.

The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, in the UB Dental Clinic in Squire Hall on the South Campus. All veterans are welcome. Appointments are limited. To schedule a visit, call 716-829-2780.

“The University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine is proud to help veterans who have helped our country. It is a small token of our appreciation to assist the folks who have defended our country when it has needed it the most,” said Brendan Dowd, D.D.S., clinical assistant professor of restorative dentistry in the UB School of Dental Medicine.

“Dentistry Smiles on Veterans” aims to deliver needed services to veterans who lack dental insurance or do not qualify for dental treatment through the Veterans Health Administration, a benefit reserved only for those with service-related dental injuries.

Throughout the day, more than 100 Buffalo-area dentists and hygienists, and UB dental students, faculty and staff will volunteer to provide care that ranges from simple cleanings to oral surgery.

Veterans may also receive health screenings from student and faculty volunteers in the UB School of Nursing.