UB Dental to offer free care to WNY vets on Veterans Day

BUFFALO, N.Y. – In honor of Veterans Day, the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine welcomes local veterans to receive a day of free dental screenings, extractions, restorations and denture repairs through its third annual Dentistry Smiles on Veterans.

The program – a partnership between UB Dental, the New York State Dental Association and the Eighth District Dental Society – will provide free dental care to nearly 200 Western New York veterans.

The event will take place on Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the UB Dental Clinic in Squire Hall on the South Campus.

All veterans are welcome. To schedule an appointment, call 716-829-2780.

The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station Honor Guard will lead a procession into the clinic at 8:30 a.m. Congressman Brian Higgins, U.S. Representative for New York's 27th District; New York State Senator Timothy M. Kennedy, D-63rd district; UB Provost Charles F. Zukoski, PhD; and Joseph J. Zambon, DDS, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor and dean of the School of Dental Medicine, will deliver remarks immediately following the procession.

“It is an honor for the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and the dental profession to help veterans who have served and protected our country,” said Brendan Dowd, DDS, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry.

Dentistry Smiles on Veterans aims to deliver needed services to veterans who lack dental insurance or do not qualify for dental treatment through the Veterans Health Administration, a benefit reserved only for those with service-related dental injuries.

Throughout the day, more than 100 Buffalo-area dentists and hygienists, and UB dental students, faculty and staff will volunteer to provide care that ranges from simple cleanings to oral surgery.

This year, the program will also offer health screenings from student and faculty volunteers in the UB School of Nursing.