Glendale Campus Provides Free Dental Services for 250 Veterans
250 military veterans receive free dental services on Glendale's campus
Midwestern Dental Institute staff and faculty who are military veterans (from left to right): Don Touvell, Dental Lab Coordinator; Wesley Reynolds, Dental Lab Manager; Melanie Bauer, D.M.D., Assistant Professor; Ashley Madern, D.M.D., Assistant Professor; Larry Johns, D.D.S., M.S.D., Assistant Professor
On March 29, the College of Dental Medicine – Arizona (CDMA) hosted the annual Veteran’s Dental Day, during which the Midwestern University Dental Institute provided free dental treatment for approximately 250 military veterans.
Treatments performed included dental examinations, routine cleanings, fillings, extractions, consultations about dental implants or dentures, and recommendations for follow-up care. Services were provided by dental students and supervised by faculty dentists, some of whom are also veterans.
Dental student Adam Long (CDMA 2025) enjoyed his first time working with veteran patients. “It was a good experience being able to talk to the veterans about their time, thank them, and give back our time,” he said. “Seeing the collaboration and how excited students were to give back to veterans was great! They need care, someone’s got to give it to them, and they’re entitled to it.”
Adam also pointed out that the connection between patient and dentist is not only enjoyable, but also crucial to setting patients up for success. During this event, one of his veteran patients began the process of getting dentures, which requires multiple follow-up appointments, and he is very excited to continue to connect with this veteran patient.
Student Andrew Yancy (CDMA 2025) added that building relationships with patients is one of his favorite parts of dentistry, and this event is beneficial because “it introduces veterans to the process and gets them started with an inviting experience.”
“I love to connect with people of all ages and all walks of life, so this is a really good opportunity to do that. It’s definitely beautiful. I wish we could do this more often,” agreed Rowan Fogerty (CDMA 2025).
This year’s event was the sixth annual Veteran’s Dental Day hosted by Midwestern.
