Serving smiles one patient at a time in Plainview

Covenant Health Plainview Dental Outreach program provides four full days of dental clinic services to the Plainview, Texas community every month. The program is part of Covenant Health’s community outreach program to help provide access to dental care, primarily dentures and partials, in areas where services are not available or where service costs may be prohibitive for some community members.

Nurse Practitioner Greg Curry reminisced on his experience with a patient by saying, “The room lit up, as she smiled for the first time and said, ‘Thank you, for my teeth.’ My heart soared. She had been my patient for three years and I had never seen her smile, until that day. That will stay with me and reminds me of why I became a health care provider in the first place.”

Maintaining a healthy mouth, teeth and gums can not only impact one’s overall health but also their mental health, self-confidence and quality of life.

“The Dental Outreach program has not only improved the health and well-being of our Plainview community; it has also bolstered the self-esteem of our community, increasing the psychological well-being, one smile at a time,” said Curry.

On average, the Plainview clinic treats about 17 patients during its four days in operation each month.

One dental outreach patient had this to share, “I have always taken good care of my teeth, but due to increased health problems, my teeth have begun to fall out. I am very thankful for the opportunity of getting the much-needed dental work done through the Covenant Health outreach program.”