Dental bus brings smiles to town

The Florida Baptist Convention Dental Bus, lead by team stragetist, Marc Johnston of Jacksonville, helped about 70 patients last week with free extractions and fillings.

A group of volunteer Dentists from the Levy County area took time from their busy practices to help those in need and over $15,000 in free services were provided.

The team works on one of the patients that filed through the state-of-the art bus during the week that they were in town.

Although the dental bus service was organized on short notice, local RNs Sue Colson and Star Pope helped make it a reality. Star is married to Pastor Todd Pope of the Cedar Key Baptist Church and Colson also serves as a City Commissioner, in her spare time.

Dr. Bill Martin, of Chiefland; Dental Technician Jennifer Smith; Pastor`s wife and RN Star Pope; Hotel owner Andy Bair; Team Strategist Marc Johnston; Dr. Robert Mount, of Chiefland and Dental Technician Shannon Allen relax at the Island Hotel`s Neptune Lounge. The first "day`s" appointments began at 5 p.m. last Tuesday night and did not end until nearly 9 p.m. but the Hotel kitchen stayed open late to accomodate the hungry volunteers and provided dinner "on the hotel."

While relaxing after the first day`s work, Dr. Bill Martin, one of the volunteer dentists, remarked at how impressed he was by the hospitality provided by the local community. Meals and accomodations were donated by several businesses on the island for the dentists and technicians.

Dates have already been reserved for 2013 and the bus will be back in Cedar Key next July. Until then, make sure you brush and floss.