Photo by Sarah Merly
Key Points
- Aspen Dental’s Apopka office will offer free dental care to veterans on Saturday, Nov. 7, as part of the Day of Service initiative.
- The Day of Service has served over 30,000 veterans and provided more than $28 million in dental care since its inception.
- Veterans of any U.S. military branch can schedule a 30-minute appointment for free exams and treatments like fillings or extractions by advance registration.
Aspen Dental’s Apopka office, at 1500 W. Orange Blossom Trail, will honor veterans with free dental care on Saturday, Nov. 7, as part of Aspen’s Day of Service initiative.
“The main thing for this day is to just give back,” said owner Duy Truong, whose grandfather served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. “I know they fought so hard for our freedom — for me to be here, for my family, for everyone — so the least we could do is to alleviate them of any dental pain.”
This year marks the Apopka office’s first time participating in the Day of Service initiative. However, the Apopka location’s office manager, Yannelly Tavarez, previously participated in the Sanford office’s Day of Service program as a dental assistant.
“A lot of the veterans, unfortunately, don’t really get much help dental-wise with their insurance — their veteran insurance — and so they do have to be in a waiting list for a long time in order for them to be able to get some type of help with dental,” she said. “Being able to have the Day of Service when we were able to help them out, they were able to schedule themselves, they came in, and we did an evaluation completely free for all of them.”
According to Aspen Dental’s website, the Day of Service has served over 30,000 veterans and donated more than $28 million in dental care. Each Day of Service appointment will last “approximately 30 minutes,” and “care may include, but is not limited to, fillings, extractions, and denture repairs.” Treatment depends on the exam and X-rays, the company says.
Truong said the office will also select veterans to “adopt” at the end of the Day of Service.
“We do a complete care for everything — if it’s full-mouth extractions with implants, with dentures, whatever it is — we pick a few veterans that just really connected with us there for that day,” he said.
Anyone who has served in any branch of the U.S. military is eligible, according to Aspen Dental. Advance appointments are required, and space is limited. To register for a Day of Service appointment, veterans may visit https://www.aspendental.com/schedule-an-appointment/dayofservice/?fc=4254.
“Every veteran I have the opportunity to care for reminds me of the families behind the uniform, and of the privilege of serving those who served,” said associate dentist Eric Krochmalnek in a statement to The Apopka Chief. “My grandfather’s service taught me the meaning of resilience, strength, and putting others before yourself. Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my life and providing free dental care is my way of expressing that appreciation and putting my profession and skills behind those words. If I have a way to help a veteran smile without worrying about the cost, then that’s one of the most rewarding ways I can practice dentistry.”