‘Everyone Deserves To Smile’ campaign aims to provide dental care for Victoria’s most vulnerable

Jordan Soames can be seen receiving dental work at the Cool Aid Dental Clinic in downtown Victoria.

The power of a healthy smile is something a Victoria non-profit says we shouldn’t take for granted. This month, the Cool Aid Society is reaching out for fundraising help to ensure some of our most vulnerable can have access to the dental care they need.

Jordan Soames has been coming to the Cool Aid’s dental clinic for the past four years.

“Today was just a cleaning so it was pretty quick,” said Soames.

He is now on the federal government’s new Canadian Dental Care Plan, which was rolled out in its entirety in May of last year.

“Before I had some coverage and I would have to pay whatever it was over that,” said Soames.

He was always able to pay, yet others getting work done at the Cool Aid’s dental clinic do not always have the means to cover the bill.

Kathleen Quast is the manager of the Cool Aid Dental Clinic and says their numbers are quite staggering.

“We have 8,800 patients and only 400 have the new federal plan,” said Quast.

The clinic subsidizes those that cannot pay because without this service, many will never be able to receive the oral health care they so desperately need.

“This is such an essential resource in this community, I get emotional talking about it,” said the clinic’s manager.

The Cool Aid Dental Clinic relies heavily on donations and has embarked on its “Everyone Deserves To Smile” Campaign through the month of February. A generous donor in the Capital Region has made a $50,000 donation and the clinic is looking to match that. Currently the non-profit is $33,000 short of reaching its $100,000 goal.

“We have a regular clinic where we have booked appointments everyday and then every morning we have people that are lined up outside,” said Quast. “People are coming from up island. Salt Spring and the Greater Victoria area because they don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Quast says two weeks ago, a woman made the trip to Victoria from Courtenay because she had nowhere else to turn. She walked in as a drop-in patient and fortunately the clinic managed to squeeze her in, getting her the help she needed.

“They really care, they really do,” aid Soames.

The Canadian Dental Care Plan is for residents with an adjusted family net income of less than $90,000.

“That is actually one of our barriers is that it’s income based so people have to have their taxes done,” said Quast.

Many of the clinic’s patients either do not have the capacity to file those taxes or need support in doing so, making them ineligible for the federal program.

The clinic needs your help to continue to provide the essential dental care to some of the regions most vulnerable who are often without proper dental coverage or the ability to pay out of pocket.

To make a donation, visit Cool Aid’s website.