For Michelle Pouna, a visit to the dentist this weekend was much more than a routine checkup. It was the first time her sons had ever sat in a dentist’s chair. “They never went. Can you imagine?” Pouna said. The Ottawa mother is among approximately 70 patients who received free dental care through a community outreach event hosted by Dentistry at Bank Street. The clinic opened its doors to members of Ottawa’s West African community on Saturday, offering checkups, cleanings, and oral health education at no cost. For Pouna, the opportunity removed a barrier many families face when it comes to dental care. “We think it’s expensive and it will be really hard on our pocket,” she said. “This kind of program is really amazing, helping families.” The event was organized in partnership with hygienist Dairessa Manfouo, who has strong ties to the West African community. She says many families delay dental visits because of cost concerns, something she experienced firsthand growing up. “If I had a treatment to do, I would have had to pay out of pocket,” Manfouo said. “Seeing kids like this that can actually start going to the dentist from a young age, it’s something that I can’t tell you how happy I am.” Dr. Melvin Lee, owner of Dentistry at Bank, says the clinic reinforced the impact access to care can have on families. “It has reminded me of the why you decide to become a dentist, to help these underprivileged, underserved patients become healthier,” Lee said. Beyond providing free care, Lee says the event was also designed to raise awareness of the Canadian Dental Care Plan, the federal program that began rolling out in 2024 and is now available to eligible Canadians of all ages. The plan helps cover the cost of services such as examinations, cleanings, X-rays, fillings, and other routine dental procedures for Canadians who do not have access to private dental insurance and have an adjusted family net income of less than $90,000. Lee says many people in cultural communities may still be unaware they qualify. “My parents are immigrants from South Korea, and they came from South Korea with not very much money and so most of our lives they worked minimum wage jobs and when they became self-employed, so we did not have insurance or extra money to go to the dentist,” he said. “In my entire lifetime, before I actually entered dental school, I went to the dentist twice in my life so, I know personally about the value of this new Canadian dental care plan for patients who are not as rich or lacked dental insurance.” “Through this program, they’re able to access pretty much the basic standard of dental carte that most other Canadians have been enjoying for decades.” For Pouna, the free clinic provides peace of mind and an opportunity she says her family may not have otherwise had. “I’m grateful to have been called for that,” she said. “I’m coming here with my family, my kids, my husband, and my mom, I wouldn’t have done that before.” Lee says additional community clinics are already planned, including more appointments in July and two outreach days for Ottawa’s Spanish-speaking community in August. With demand continuing to grow, he says more free community care days are also being considered.
