Accessing a dentist can be difficult and expensive for many, but a clinic at the Ottawa Mission provides free care to people experiencing homelessness. Ottawa Mission client Roger Pilon says he actually likes going to the dentist. “Oh, I love the dentist,” he told CTV News Ottawa. On Thursday, he had an appointment for tooth pain at the clinic, which is part of the Ottawa Mission Dymon Health Clinic. “This place is phenomenal. You know, it’s, as far as I’m concerned, the best clinic in the city,” he says. The Ottawa Mission also provides meals, shelter and job training. “We are providing, free emergency services, preventative and restorative dental care [for those] who are homeless or living at the shelters,” says Kubra Tekin, an administrator at the clinic. It’s a busy place — last year, the clinic provided dental care to nearly 400 patients, according to the Ottawa Mission and they say it’s about more than giving someone their smile back. “It’s like you’re giving them their life because you also improve their self-confidence,” says Tekin. “It’s a gateway to better overall health,” says Dr. Rania El-Hawary. Services are free to patients according thanks to donations and about fifty dentists, dental hygienists and other professionals who volunteer their time. “I do this, because giving back to my community is very important to me personally. Charity, compassion, relieving people’s pain, sort of restoring their self-worth, their self-esteem,” says El-Hawary. She has a private practice in Ottawa, but also volunteers at the clinic. “Part of social responsibility is important to me personally, as well is it’s a core principle of my faith, my religion,” she says. The dental clinic first opened in 2007.
