So many people showed up for a free dental clinic in Danbury that organizers reached capacity and closed its doors to new patients about five hours before it was scheduled to end.
The two-day clinic opened around 6 a.m. on Friday and about 650 people were lined up as early as Thursday afternoon. By Friday morning, the line grew to 750 people. By 1 p.m., the clinic had 1,100 patients, the maximum number they could help in one day.
"The state is one of the richest in the country, and in the meantime, we have a huge unmet need, especially the adult population," Bruce Tandy, vice chairman of the event, said.
Jessica Devries, of Preston, and her 9-year-old son, Caleb, drove two hours and were the first in line.
"My son needs to have a lot of dental work done and we don't have dental insurance and I have been watching his teeth progressively get worse," Jessica said. "I realized not only could his teeth get fixed but I could get mine fixed."
Jessica's front tooth was chipped and the dentists were able to fix that on Friday as well.
Caleb slept on the pavement overnight to see a dentist on Friday.
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"I am very grateful. They made me cry earlier because they took care of everything my son needed. It was beautiful," Jessica said.
Jessica Devries said she is a hard-working person, but does not have dental insurance and it's too expensive.
"It's not a hand-out," she said of the clinic. "They're eager to help you, and it doesn't matter if you have a job or you don't have a job, what your income is. They're willing to help you. If you don't have dental insurance, come down here and get your teeth fixed. It's an amazing experience."
The Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach and the state dental association run Connecticut Mission of Mercy, where patients who are underserved and uninsured can be examined, have X-rays done, cleanings, extractions, cavity fillings and even root canals.
More than 1,600 volunteers are working and organizers expected to see 1,000 patients on Friday and another 1,000 on Saturday.
In 2011, the clinic served 1,852 people from 186 communities. The total value of the services donated was $1.2 million.
The clinic is being held at the O'Neill Center at Western Connecticut State University, West Side Campus, 43 Lake Ave. Ext. in Danbury.
