One of the dentists and co-founder of Connecticut Family Dental in Waterbury, Connecticut
(www.ctfdental.com) Dr. Ratna Vedullapalli, and two of her associates, Dr. Annie Kwan and Dr. Prasanna Ravuri, offered their services during the Connecticut Mission of Mercy’s free dental clinic at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury on Saturday, March 24 and
Sunday, March 25.
Dr. Vedullapalli and her associates of the recently-opened Connecticut Family Dental practice at 171 Grandview Avenue in Waterbury, Dr. Annie Kwan and Dr. Prasanna Ravuri, chose to participate in the free dental weekend clinic that was held at the O’Neill Center of the Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. “In 2011,” explained Dr. Vedullapalli, “the non-profit Connecticut Mission of Mercy’s ambition provided free dental care to nearly 1,852 underserved and uninsured individuals in two day’s time. In 2012, over 2,000 people received more than $1.3 million worth of free dental care from 1,600 volunteers. We were very happy to volunteer our services to such a notable and vitally-important community-wide free offering.”
“Caring for One Another” is the tagline of the nationwide Mission of Mercy (MOM), a non-profit organization that provides equipment and organizes thousands of volunteers across the United States to offer free dental care. Their notable and generous ambition is to raise
awareness that oral health contributes significantly to the overall physical health and well-being of people all ages. CTMOM, The Connecticut Mission of Mercy’s two day clinic provides free dental care to the underserved and uninsured, people who normally go without any level of dental care year-round. CTMOM’s website states, “Oral health is inseparable from general health and can affect a person’s self-esteem, compromise their ability to work, attend school and lead a normal life. For this reason the Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach (CDFO) in collaboration with the Connecticut State Dental Association (CSDA) embarked upon the state’s first Mission of Mercy project in April 2008 in Tolland. Every year, the Connecticut Mission of Mercy project is held in a different location throughout the state.”
Connecticut Family Dental, established in July 2011, also provides services to underserved and underprivileged individuals and families in the Waterbury region. “This two-day clinic in Danbury,” stated Dr. Vedullapalli “focused attention on one of our day-to-day ambitions, to
serve people of all income levels. Our practice is comparatively new to other long-established practices in Waterbury, but we’re confident that our participation in such praise-worthy endeavors as CTMOM’s clinic helps people learn more the importance of dental care for
overall health and about our services.”
Located next to Waterbury Hospital off Route 8 and I-84, Connecticut Family Dental offers one-stop dentistry for every family member. The practice offers state-of-the-art technologies including panorex imaging machinery that circulates around the patient’s entire head
taking images of teeth, head, sinuses and bones without any contact to the body. They also offer digital x-rays which provide 80% less radiation than standard x-rays, intraoral camera and rotary endodontics. “At affordable prices,” stated Dr. Vedullapalli, “we also provide cosmetic dentistry, custom dentures, bonding, crowns, white fillings, extractions, inlays and onlays, night guards, tooth whitening, and protective mouth guards.”
Free door-to-door shuttle service is among the very distinctive services also offered by Connecticut Family Dental. “Many people simply do not have transportation to and from their doctors’ and dentist’s offices. To help our patients get the best care possible, we offer this complimentary shuttle service to ensure they get dental care without hesitation.” The practice also offers same-day appointments, a spacious waiting room designed especially for
children, Saturday appointments, affordable payment plans, and acceptance of most dental insurances. Connecticut Family Dental staff members speak more than five languages including Spanish, Albanian, Lithuanian, French and Creole, and the practice’s answering service allows their patients to access their dentists 24 hours, 7 days every week.
During the free two-day clinic in Danbury, Dr. Vedullapalli worked in the Pedodontics (child dentistry) section of the clinic. Her first patient was a young child who had been waiting at the entrance since 5:00 a.m. Some patients reported they had arrived at the clinic at 2:00 a.m. to be certain they received care. During the clinic, Dr. Vedullapalli provided fillings, root canals, cleaning, fluoride and sealants. Dr. Kwan and Dr. Ravuri were assigned to the Restorative
care section of the clinic. “These were completely free dental services,” stated Dr. Vedullapalli. “Patients were not required to fill out any insurance forms, and patients of all ages without any
pre-existing medical conditions that would prohibit dental services, were welcomed.”
To learn more about Connecticut Family Dental, visit www.ctfdental.com, email to ctdental1@gmail.com, or call 203-574-2725. The practice is located at 171 Grandview Avenue, Suite 103 in Waterbury.