Hopkins Dentist Offers Delayed Valentine�s Gift:�Dentistry from the Heart� Spreads Free Smiles

HOPKINS, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--http://www.shamblottfamilydentistry.com

- Celebrate late this year - the last Friday of February, almost two

weeks after Valentine's Day, Shamblott Family Dentistry will again

spread goodwill and cheer to the local community with a Dentistry from

the Heart (DFTH) event. This year's DFTH will be the fourth

annual event offering gifts of free fillings and extractions to the

first people who show up at Dr. Scott Shamblott's office in Hopkins.

On Friday, February 26, Dr. Shamblott and his staff will provide

free dental care to those in need. DFTH began in 2001 as

one dentist's charitable act for the Tampa Bay community. In

the years since, it has grown steadily and is now hosted by dental

offices across the country. Since its inception, DFTH has

given away over $2.5 million in dental work to over 10,500 patients.

With the rising cost of dental and medical services, and the

current economic crisis, demand is expected to be greater than ever.

Dr. Shamblott is again recruiting other dentists to join him in

giving back this year, hoping to serve more patients than ever as the

need for this free service continues to grow. This is Dr.

Shamblott's way of giving back to the community, offering care to those

who can't afford it, and providing aid to the growing number of

Americans without dental insurance.

Dr. Shamblott and his fellow volunteers will start work at 7:00

a.m. and continue working throughout the day, caring for as many people

as they can. Patients will be examined and will receive free fillings or

extractions as time permits. Work will be done on a first come, first

served basis.

The office gets busier each year during this event, and this year

Dr. Shamblott intends to increase efforts to spread the word about the

free services. "There are so many individuals who need dental care and

can't afford it. We want them to know that there is somewhere they can

go to get help," says Dr. Shamblott. His office is partnering with local

media to call attention to Dentistry from the Heart, and continues to

work with religious and social organizations to spread the word.

Each year, Dr. Shamblott finds that "The biggest demand is from

people who've been hurting for a long time. This is what they need:

someone who can do a little work for them at no charge. We

get a lot of hugs and we get a lot of kisses - all we ask for in return

is a smile and a thank you."

"After seeing what we accomplished with our event again last year,

we realize there is a great need for Dentistry from the Heart in our

community," said Dr. Scott Shamblott. "There is an opportunity to

provide dental care to many people who couldn't otherwise afford it, and

we hope to be able to treat more people this year than we did last,

impacting more lives and making an even bigger difference in our

community."

Dr. Shamblott and his team do whatever they can on DFTH day to

relieve pain and fix problems. Patients who need ongoing care or have

problems that cannot be fixed in one day are referred to community

clinics, where they can receive ongoing treatment at low or no cost. "We

spend the rest of the year Read More simply running a traditional dental

practice," Dr Shamblott said. "One day is a pretty small thing but we

think it makes a difference in the lives of the people who come to us

for help."

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"Dentistry from the Heart is a way of giving thanks for our own

successes," Dr. Shamblott said. "We encourage other dentists to join us

next year, volunteering their time and lending their skills to this

cause. Someday, I'd like to have 50 dentists treat 600 patients, like

the founder of Dentistry from the Heart has in Tampa Bay."

Dr. Shamblott was the first dentist in Minnesota to join Dentistry

from the Heart when he hosted his first event in 2007, and Shamblott

Family Dentistry is recruiting additional offices to participate on

February 26 this year. In 2010, more than 200 practices in

48 states and Canada are expected to hold similar events.

About Shamblott Family Dentistry: Shamblott Family

Dentistry, 33 Tenth Avenue South, Suite 250 in Hopkins, MN,

952-935-5599, www.shamblottfamilydentistry.com,

is run by Hopkins dentist Dr. Scott Shamblott and offers a wide variety

of dental treatments including sedation dentistry and same day emergency

appointments.