Rockford Mission of Mercy surpassed its goal, providing more than $1M in free dental care

ROCKFORD – Last weekend marked the first time in four years that the Illinois State Dental Society Foundation was able to host its Mission of Mercy event, and it took place in Rockford, where hundreds of people in need were seen for free.

According to the society, the mission surpassed its goal of providing $1 million in free dental care to more than 1,000 patients during the two-day event. The final total of care provided was $1,024,736.96.Hundreds of volunteers — dentists, dental hygienists, registered nurses, dental assistants and patient ambassadors — provided 366 cleanings, 1,159 extractions, 916 fillings, 610 X-rays, 58 root canals and 54 partial dentures.

Before being derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the society put on a mission of mercy event every other year since 2010. It has been held in cities across the state. Before Rockford' event last weekend, it was last held in Springfield in 2018.

“We want to thank the City of Rockford, our area dentists and volunteers who put in the hard work and local media outlets who helped us reach as many people as possible about the free care they could receive at Mission of Mercy,” said Dr. Tom Sullivan, the society's foundation president and an event organizer. “Every event is a true team effort. We know we are changing people’s lives for the better in Rockford and the surrounding area through Mission of Mercy and are proud to report the event was another success to meet people’s needs.”More about the event’s history, questions and answers for patients and other helpful information is available at the ISDS Foundation’s Mission of Mercy website: https://www.isds.org/foundation/events/mission-of-mercy.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Free dental clinic in Rockford provided more than $1M in services