Local dentist Dr. Robert Crosby, DMD, is offering a free dental clinic, Friday, February 21, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at his office at 100 North Pine Street in Greenville.

The clinic is being held in conjunction with a program organized by the Alabama Dental Association, called &uot;Give Kids a Smile&uot; Day.

&uot;This program is being offered to area residents who may have been unable to obtain dental care because they don’t have any type of dental insurance coverage,&uot; Crosby said. &uot;Although there are several types of coverage, such as Medicaid, AllKids and Donated Dental Services, we have found that there are still many families that fall through the cracks and aren’t covered by any of those. We want to offer this service to them.&uot;

Crosby said the program is designed to offer free educational, preventive and restorative services to children from low-income families.

&uot;There are many kids that aren’t getting the necessary dental care, so the ADA’s program focuses on them,&uot; he said. &uot;But my office is taking it one step further and offering our services for adults as well during the program.&uot;

Crosby said this is the first time this program has been offered by the ADA, but that he has held similar programs through his office in the past.

&uot;Our hope for the program is that we can educate as many people as possible about the importance of dental care,&uot; the dentist said. &uot;Through this clinic, we’ll be able to tell the participants about any dental problems they may have and perform as many procedures as we can during one day, even if that means a root canal.&uot;

Crosby said he foresees performing a lot of extractions and emergency care.

&uot;There are many people who have had an ongoing problem and haven’t had anything done about it, but need something done right away,&uot; he said. &uot;Those are the ones who have put off a dentist visit because they really couldn’t afford it. This is a great opportunity for them to come in and get that problem taken care of.&uot;

Interested parties should register at Crosby’s office Friday morning. No phone calls prior to the clinic are necessary for registration.

Patients will be treated on a first-come, first-serve basis, and only dental care that can be completed during the clinic will be performed. Screenings and exams will be provided only for children 6 and under.