Project CommUNITY: Maine dentists provide free care for domestic abuse survivors

Originally posted on WMTW NEWS CENTER MAINE
May 24, 2024

Maine dentists have donated $115,000.00 worth of free, gold-standard procedures for low-income women and child survivors of domestic abuse through “Finding Our Smiles," according to the statewide nonprofit Finding Our Voices which runs the program.

The program has been around for 18 months. Twenty-two Maine survivors have gotten their smiles back or are in the process of doing so.

The 28 providers include general dentists, orthodontists, prosthodontists, endodontists, and oral surgeons from York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Knox, Waldo, Kennebec, and Hancock counties, as well as dental labs from three states.

Patrisha McLean is the founder of the non-profit Finding Our Voices. McLean says this dental program provides cosmetic dental care that helps with job searches and promotions and boosts confidence, in addition to providing critical care for violent assaults including punches and a baseball bat to the mouth. Three survivors in the program, she said, “had rotten teeth because they were ‘not allowed’ to brush them by their pathologically possessive and controlling partners, and it is pretty common for abusers to sabotage their victims’ dental care with such tactics as hiding the car keys when it is time for an appointment.”

McLean says participating survivors are treated as any other paying patient, with providers often donating whatever services are deemed advisable in the overall treatment plan including Invisalign and braces, implants, and even porcelain veneers.

Finding Our Voices is looking for more dentists to join in.