While people often lament the physical pain associated with going to the dentist, the financial pain can also be a severe barrier to many.
Pro Bono Dental is a group of dentists who have come together to ensure that everyone in Ottawa can have clean teeth. Despite this noble effort, they are facing one serious problem: no one is showing up.
"It’s mind-boggling" says Dr. Harrold Mince, who founded the clinic last year. "We are offering free dental care, and we can’t seem to attract clients. We run ad campaigns, we tweet, we even tried going through the phonebook and calling individuals, but nothing seems to work. It would appear that people have an extreme aversion to going to the dentist."
Dr. Mince and his colleagues are certainly discouraged, but remain hopeful that public opinion will change, either on its own or with a little help from Pro Bono Dental. "We are currently tossing around a few promotional ideas. So far the front-runner is Sugar Mountain gift cards. I know, I know, but we need to find a way to get people in here. Hopefully, incentives like this will be enough to sweeten the deal."
