Gift From the Heart — Dental hygienists offer one day of free services to the public

TORONTO, Feb. 2, 2012 /CNW/ - To honour the spirit of Valentine's Day, on February 11 registered dental hygienists across the province will provide oral care services to the public at no cost.

For the fourth consecutive year, Gift From the Heart campaign offers a way for dental hygienists to reach out in their community and help members of the public who may be financially unable to receive oral care or have difficultly accessing dental hygiene services.

"Because dental hygienists can work independently outside the traditional dental office, the event also helps to build awareness about the public's right to choose their health-care provider and the importance of preventing oral disease for a healthy mouth and healthy body," said Bev Woods, co-ordinator of the project.

Last year, dental hygienists from all practice settings, including those who operate their own businesses, treated approximately 1,500 clients during the one-day volunteer event.  "Our annual Gift From the Heart keeps growing.  This year we expect to help more people so that we can truly make a difference through treatment and public education about the importance of good oral health," adds Ms Woods.

Since September 2007 when legislation allowed dental hygienists to provide their services outside the dental office, more than 190 independent dental hygiene practices — stand alone clinics and mobile services — have opened across Ontario.

"This legislation change in 2007 increased access to affordable and comprehensive dental hygiene care," said Jocelyne King, President of the Ontario Dental Hygienists' Association. "Gift From the Heart goes one step further to make sure more people know about dental hygiene's integral role in the delivery of quality oral care in Ontario."

Dental hygiene is a regulated health-care profession with more than 12,000 practising dental hygienists in Ontario, making it the third largest of the health-care professions in the province.  The College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario, the profession's regulatory body, sets policies and standards to ensure the public receives safe and ongoing comprehensive oral care.

Gift From the Heart participants in Ontario:

Acton	M. Susan MacPhail	Dental Hygiene Healthcare 46 Mill St. East	519-853-5985
Alexandria	Josee Laferriere	Polished Tooth Dental Centre 24 Main Street S PO Box 339	613-525-9900
Ancaster	Abigail Santos	Ontario Dental Education Institution 201 Wilson St W	866-979-6334
Arnprior	Patty McComb	Rural Roots Dental Hygiene Services 43 Madawaska St	613-323-6487
Ayr	Michelle O'Neill	O'Neill's Dental Hygiene Clinic 76 Stanley St.	519 394 3000
Barrie	Linda Ambrose	Barrie Lakeside Dental & Wellness
Barry's Bay	Marcia Dillabough	Barry's Bay Dental Hygiene Clinic 19674 Hwy 60 PO Box 729	613-756-6884
Beamsville	Wendy Andrews	Gentle Hands Dental Hygiene Care 5041 King Street	905-563-6080
Belleville	Elaine Herald	Quinte Dental Hygiene Services 417 Dundas Street E.	613-967-3600
Bradford	Nancy Johnston	MDH..the Smile Spa 13 John Street West Unit 'A', PO Box 684	905-778-8523
Brantford	Jillian Turcotte	Hot Smiles Dental Hygiene 385 St.Paul Ave
Brockville	Jen Macdonald	Hygiene Wise 135 Ormond St., Suite 103	613 865 9292
Burlington	Judy Ganis	Judy Dental Hygiene Care 5198 New Street
Caledonia	Vicki Lance	Precious Smiles Dental Hygiene Services 4444 River Road
Cobourg	Mary Ito	Northumberland Dental Hygiene Clinic 297 Division St.	289-252-0232
Dundas	Sara Stumpo & Barb Consoli	C.A.R.E. Dental Hygiene 33 King St. West	905-627-7500
Dundas	Lesley Knapp	Dundas Dental Hygiene & Wellness Studio 155 King St. W.	905-719-5699
Durham Region	Natalie Brooks-Matwichuk	Dental Solutions Mobile Dental Hygiene Services	905-999-9016
Erin	Kelly Kirk	Pearly Whites Dental Hygiene 49 Waterford Drive	519-833-9788
Etobicoke	Joanne M. Sellitto	Dental Hygiene Office 1500 Royal York Rd  Unit 39	416-247-9900
Fort Erie	Nancy Pearce	Choice Independent Dental Hygiene 168 Garrison Road	905-994-0259
Fort Frances	Dawn Gustafson	LifetimeSmiles 715 Nelson Street,	807-274-6588
Georgetown	Lisa Castrucci	TLC Dental Hygiene 360 Guelph St. Unit 40	905-877-1300
Hamilton	Julie Dinardo	Gleam Smile Centre 678 Upper James St.	905-378-6453
Kanata	Elaine Russell	Kanata Dental Hygiene 417B Hazeldean Rd	613-592-2044
Kempville	Jen MacDonald	Hygiene Now PO Box 159 2722A Cty. Rd. 43,	613 258 3200
Kincardine	Lorri Hussey	Kincardine Dental Hygiene 226 Queen St.	519-396-5550
King City	Kathleen Bernardi	Woodland Dental Hygiene 205 King Summit Road	905-273-2300
Kingston	Melissa Green	Green Hygiene Mobile Dental Hygiene Services 309 Glen Castle Rd	613-766-8407
Kitchener	Contact reception to book appts.	Medix School- Kitchener Campus 248 Stirling Ave S., Unit 14	519-895-0013
Larder Lake	Kathleen Bougie	Spoon Bay Dental Hygiene 29 Godfrey St.	705-643-2443
Lindsay		Dental Hygiene Care By Marnie 68 Springdale Drive,	705-879-1689
Maple	Alie Preisig	Snow White Smiles 9929 Keele St	905-303-4933
Midland	Nicole Brunelle	Genesis Dental Hygiene Care 340 First Street	705-526-3600
Midland	Roma Czech	The Hygienics Studio 741 Yonge St. Unit #3	705-526-3232
Noelville	Julie Raymond	Jewels Dental Hygiene Clinic 38 St-Christophe, PO Box 90	705-898-3220
North Bay	Anne-Marie Nadeau	Brilliance Dental Hygiene 150 Main Street West	705-477-1744
North Bay		Canadore College 100 College Drive	705-474-7600
North Bay	Chantal Pannell	Hilltop Dental Hygiene Clinic 101 Worthington St. Suite 223	705-478-8584
Oakville	Gagan Sandhu	Gems Dental Care 501 Pinegrove Rd	905-582-5494
Oakville	Joanna Wisniewska	Glen Abbey Dental Hygiene 481 North Service Road West, Unit A19	905-465-1199
Ottawa	Michelle Black	Confident Smiles Dental Hygiene 166 Second Ave.	613-799-2633
Ottawa	Carolle Lepage	La Cité collégiale 801 Aviation pkway	613-742-2493 ext 2515
Ottawa	Rosemary Vaillant	The Perfect Smile 52 Glendenning Dr.	613-898-2292
Pickering	Debra Amos	Community Dental Hygiene 1295 Wharf St. Unit 37	905-492-0805
Pickering	Ann McDow	Healthy Smiles 677 Marksbury Rd.	289-200-2468
Sarnia	Pam Jackson	Healthy Smiles Hygiene Care 270 North Christina St.	519-332-5783
Scarborough	Sheila McKenzie	McKenzie Integrated Health Center 2201 Warden Avenue, Suite L1	416 492 6725
Smiths Falls	Lori Lawrence	Smile Sensations 34 James St. N.	613-205-0555
Stratford	Christine Embree	Perth Dental Hygiene Inc. 169 Huron Street	519-508-5800
Thunder Bay	Maheen Cassim	Natural Smiles The Dental Hygiene Boutique 509 Edward St N Unit #5	807-285-3493
Val Caron	Nathalie Bertrand	Valley East Dental Hygiene Clinic 9-2924 Hwy 69 North	705-588-2222