Saturday, August 11, 2012

Arrowhead ups the ante on community service this year


Arrowhead Dental Associates:
Easily the most attractive dental practice I've ever visited.
Rhode Island Blood Center staff were on hand during Free Dentistry Day today to collect blood from donors while they were waiting for their free cleanings, exams, and x-rays. Just another example of the community-mindedness that won Arrowhead Charlestown's inaugural Hometown Hero Award.

By Linda Felaco


Skies were overcast and the grounds were wet from last night’s soaking rains, but at Arrowhead Dental Associates at the end of South County Trail, it was all sunshine and smiles under festive circus tents. For the fourth year in a row, as part of the national Dentistry From the Heart program, the good folks at Arrowhead pledged to treat the first 120 patients who got in line at the crack of dawn to take a number to be given an appointment, plus as many others as could be fit in before 5 p.m. time permitting.

As I passed under the trellis at the beginning of the walkway to the entrance, a woman behind me remarked about the flowers being very attractive to hummingbirds. Mandevilla, she said they were called. Remind me to plant some next year.

Arrowhead's hygienists did 120 cleanings today. Whew!
Rest your wrists tonight, ladies!
The word seems to be getting around about these events; we got there around 6:30, and 85 people had already gotten there ahead of us. So our appointment time wasn’t till 2 p.m.; last year it was 9:30. But we didn’t have to wait around once we were given our appointment either. The Arrowhead folks have got the whole process practically down to a science and are very efficient about processing people in and out. It’s all first-come, first-served, so they tell everyone to arrive a half-hour before their appointment time. That way if there’s been a late arrival or a no-show, you can get in sooner. We did as we were told and were out by 2:15.

Like last year, staff and volunteers provided a lavish array of breakfast goodies for the waiting crowds, including generous bowls full of ripe apples, bananas, and quartered oranges; bagels and cream cheese; assorted pastry; a variety of cold soft drinks and Poland Spring water; and Dunkin Donuts and coffee.[1] Warning: Do not try the new Oreo donuts. They’re so good they're evil. It was all I could do to keep myself from grabbing a second one.

And like last year, there were children’s activities and educational materials, including the infamous Mountain Dew bottle containing dry sugar equivalent to the amount that’s in the liquid. It fills a third of the bottle. Truly gross. I thought it would keep me off of soda forever, but I confess I still occasionally succumb to the allure of a Dr Pepper. But not now, while I’m still savoring that dentist-clean feeling.

All this, and dark-sky compliant, too!
If you’re uninsured or underinsured, make sure to attend next year; Free Dentistry Day is held on either the second or third Saturday of August. Arrowhead doctors provide exams, fillings and simple extractions, and their hygienists provide cleanings, x-rays, and sealants. If you’re the type who dreads going to the dentist, don’t. The office is attractive and soothing, with abundant views of the meticulously landscaped grounds, and the equipment is state-of-the-art, with flat-screen TVs tilted for optimal viewing while you’re in the chair. The staff members are very friendly and courteous to a fault. I could never get hired to work there; I’m way too cranky. But it sure is a nice place to visit once a year.


[1] My one quibble with the event: No recycling. And even more items could’ve been recycled this year under the new single-stream system than last year. Plus all those banana peels could’ve been composted. Seems like a missed opportunity. I brought my empty bottles home to make sure they got recycled.