GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The receptionist met a mother and daughter with a smile when they entered the Clay County Dental Clinic on Friday, Jan. 19. 

The mother smiled back. The daughter couldn’t because she had a toothache. 

They didn’t have to fill out insurance forms or disclose their financial information. The only questions that matter at the Adult Friday Dental Clinic are those relating to a patient’s dental needs.

Dr. Greg Archambault was finishing a filing on a man in one of three examination rooms. The high-pitched whir of the drill competed with the slurping sound of a suction tool. But what many believe is a painful aspect of seeing a dentist – paying the bill – was nonexistent because all services are free. 

“It’s been going on for 20 years,” Archambault said. “When they closed the public health clinic, we started the Clay County Dental Society a couple of years, but we got the clinic running. 

“We have numerous donations and basically started that volunteer clinic. All the people are volunteers, from the receptionist to the assistants to the dentist. We have five dentists who volunteer regularly at the clinic, and another four or five volunteer at their office.” 

Care is offered on most Fridays, starting at 7 a.m. The schedule is set monthly and based on availability. (To find which Fridays are open, visit the Community Calendar on claytodayonline.com, Florida Department of Health Clay County or The Way Free Medical Clinic websites.) 

The volunteers currently work in barebones conditions. There are no telephones to answer, and they usually clean the office themselves before they go home. 

That will change in July when the dental society moves its services to the new The Way Free Medical Clinic at 302 College Dr. in Orange Park. 

The 7,700-square-foot facility will include four new examination rooms with new equipment. The Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics gave $145,000 for new dental equipment. 

Moreover, Archambault said other dentists throughout the Jacksonville area have learned about the project and have donated their services. 

The new building will feature a more streamlined operation, Archambault said. 

“It’s going to be more beneficial because we do a lot of patient education on their habits and diet that contributes to their oral health,” the dentist said. “We’re going to have more educational materials there. The equipment is going to be new. We will have a new X-ray system to be better and faster.” 

Information at the Green Cove Springs clinic is kept in outdated paper charts. When it joins The Way, records will be paperless. And the upgrades will allow for expanded hours, Archambault said. 

“We expect more people will know about the new clinic so that we can help more people,” Archambault said. “We anticipate it will be easier to get more volunteer dentists because they know it’s going to be well-equipped. 

The clinic will also help reduce the number of low-income residents who go to a hospital emergency room with a toothache. They may be able to get short-term pain relief, but hospitals generally aren’t prepared to do dental work. 

According to Dentistry Today, it costs three times more to go to the emergency room than a dentist, and visits to the ER to treat preventable conditions cost about $2 billion a year. Medicare pays the bulk of that. 

“We want people to know we’re here for them,” Archambault said. “We need people to know we have the resources they need.”