Dr. Tom Novak found some very healthy teeth at Martin Elementary.
With a tiny camera, the Weatherford dentist made Jake Spooner’s choppers appear larger than his head on a TV in a first-
grade classroom. A handful of Jake’s fellow students were awed by what they saw. And that was the point of the visit.
“Kids need to know what to expect when they go to the dentist,” Novak said. “I really enjoy this and they have a blast.”
Students gathered around members of Novak’s staff learned things like how to brush their teeth and other ways to keep them healthy.
“Yesterday, some of the staff went to Kids Unite at Wright Elementary, and others went to Juan Seguin,” Novak said. “This is our eighth year to visit schools.”
Novak’s visits coincided with a county-wide focus on dental health. Weatherford Mayor Pro Tem Clem Smith recognized its importance by declaring Feb. 18 through 22 Dental Health of Parker County Week.
Smith presented the proclamation last week to Dr. David Cox and Dr. David Collins. The document mentions Dental Health of Parker County as a one-of-a-kind clinic established to financially assist Parker County citizens in need of dental health care, and Darrell Clark, Dental Laboratory Associates of Weatherford, whose mission work in South America proved that results of a clinic of this nature were far more reaching than relieving tooth pain or providing a pretty smile. The fruits of his dream would increase employability, improve self-esteem and offer a new chance at life for Parker County adults in poverty.
Dental Health of Parker County is the collaborative effort of 19 area dentists, as well as a board of directors, an advisory board, concerned citizens and benevolent organizations. The dentists and dental assistants selflessly volunteer their services each month in an effort to help patients that must be screened and referred by a network of area agencies to include the Parker County Committee on Aging, the Center of Hope and the Weatherford Regional Hospital indigent program.
Since its July 13 inception, the clinic has welcomed 80 patients and facilitated 262 dental procedures, providing benefits and services with a monetary value totaling $34,739. Accordingly, all monetary donations are graciously accepted, in addition to volunteer hours and services.
