FILLING NEED : Dentists Volunteer at Costa Mesa Clinic to Care for Those Who Cannot Pay for Treatment

It had been more than five years since Debbie Victor sat in a dentist’s chair, but she wasn’t as nervous as she expected to be.

The 37-year-old Anaheim woman fidgeted a bit but joked with Steven Wu as he fitted her for a new set of dentures.

“I sure hope they fit because the last pair of dentures I had were a nightmare,” Victor said. “They didn’t fit and I couldn’t even talk. I had to stop wearing them.”

For Victor, who spent much of last year homeless, the new dentures were not just a matter of vanity. If she didn’t get some teeth soon, she said, she would lose her job as a waitress at a coffee shop in Brea.

“They have already taken me off of the weekend shift because they say that’s when a lot of families come in,” she said.

So Victor turned to the Share Our Selves Dental Clinic in Costa Mesa, a last resort for those who desperately need dental care but have no money to pay for it.

The two-room clinic is part of the Rea Community Center at 661 Hamilton St. Despite its worn-out brown carpeting, peeling paint and cramped quarters, the clinic is still a welcome sight for its patients.

“We can’t help everyone, but we try to get people out of a lot of pain,” said Wu, one of 22 dentists with private practices elsewhere who donate time each month to the clinic.

The clinic, staffed by volunteers, opened in 1987 and treats an average of 180 people each month. It costs about $40,000 a year to run the clinic, which is funded entirely by donations.

Potential patients are screened first and must have no other options for dental care, said Elizabeth Curran, clinic director.

“Normally, the amount of patients we have exceeds the number of volunteers, so we can’t accept as many cases as we would like,” Curran said.

The clinic offers free services including fillings, root canals, extractions, teeth cleanings and denture repairs, for free. The clinic also provides a limited amount of lab service.

Wu, who describes himself as a “typical yuppie,” said volunteering at the clinic has helped him to keep his priorities straight.

“I’m in that yuppie group, but you have to stop and think about how that’s not all there is to life. Your biggest concern should not be about your new Beemer (BMW),” said Wu, 32.

Wu said he tries to establish the same kind of relationship with his patients at the clinic as he has with patients at his own practice. He has requested that he be able to see the same patients whenever possible to provide some continuity of care.

“You feel a great deal of satisfaction because you feel like you are really appreciated,” Wu said. “At your own practice, people have higher expectations because they are paying you. Here, you are serving a basic need and people are very grateful.”

One of those grateful patients was Manzar Assadi, 33, who came to the clinic with the pain of a toothache she had endured for more than five months because the cost of treatment was prohibitive.

Eventually, her tooth had deteriorated until she needed a root canal. Her three visits to the clinic, which included the root canal, would have cost her about $1,200 elsewhere.

After being treated by Wu, Assadi walked into the clinic’s waiting room and broke into tears.

“This is such a relief,” she said, as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

“I am just so grateful because I had been in such pain. They helped me to relax and treated me very good,” she said.

Jo Ann Luthi, 23, of Costa Mesa developed a toothache in her upper molars recently and panicked because she was without a job and health insurance.

After suffering for three weeks, she contacted the Orange County Health Department and was referred to the clinic.

“I think I’m here to have my entire mouth filled,” Luthi said. “I’ll be here quite a few more times. I really don’t mind, but the worst part is sitting in that chair waiting for that drill to come.”

Soloman Moses, 38, arrived in Orange County more than a month ago after spending most of his life in Hawaii. He was jobless, homeless and in need of a root canal.

“A friend of mine told me about this place,” Moses said as he waited to see the dentist.

“Dental work is pretty expensive these days, so a place like this is really great. Everyone here is really friendly and treats you like a paying customer,” Moses said.

Patient Blanca Bueno, a 39-year-old Mexican immigrant with four children, agreed.

“They have compassion for people here. I was going to have to have my tooth pulled out because I had a lot of problems with cavities,” Bueno said. “I feel very confident here that I will be taken care of. The people are volunteers--and they care.”

The clinic also accepts a limited number of patients who need dentures or “flippers,” which are partial dentures that give the impression of teeth. Both the dentures and partial dentures are made by Curran’s students at Riverside Community College’s dental technology department.

“We have to be very selective about who we do dentures for because they are so expensive,” Curran said. “Cosmetic work is important because Californians are so teeth conscious. It’s a matter of self-esteem and employability.”

Victor was chosen as one of two denture cases the clinic accepts each month because her job was in jeopardy.

“I really appreciate what they’re doing for me,” Victor said. “Once I get on my feet, I want to send them some money. That way I can help someone else out. What goes around, comes around.”