The number of people treated at the free dental clinic this year increased to 321 from 306 last year.

NC Missions of Mercy from Alamance County, UNC dental students and pre-dental students, and dentists from Rocky Mount, Greenville, Wilson, Raleigh and Tarboro volunteered their time Friday and Saturday to help those in need of dental care.

Nursing students from Edgecombe Community College helped with the clinic.

The amount of dental work that was done was estimated at about $112,000, an increase from last year’s total of $105,486.

Dr. Steven D. Slott, coordinator of Missions of Mercy, said that they arrived around lunch time on Thursday and began setting up equipment.

Slott said that he consider all of the dentists that volunteer a part of Missions of Mercy.

“We don’t have any paid staff," he said. "We’re depending on all volunteers."

Many people from the community volunteered to help with the clinic.

Quigless said that one volunteer arrived so early for the clinic on Saturday that she slept in her car over night after volunteering on Friday.

People started arriving as early as 5 a.m. on Friday, according to volunteer Stevenson Howard of Tarboro.

People were lined up down East Church Street where the clinic took place.

The dental care was provided in Calvary Episcopal Church’s Memorial Hall.

Howard volunteered last year and this year and received dental treatment at the clinic, as well.

Howard commended those that worked to provide this service to people who wouldn’t be able to be treated without the clinic.

“All of the people that organized this and all of the dentist should be commended for their extra ordinary work,” Howard said.

“They helped me last year and it’s a blessing to a lot of people that couldn’t afford to go to the dentist.”

Registration ended early on Friday because the amount of people that showed up to receive dental care. People from all over Eastern North Carolina came to be treated.

People decided to start arriving even earlier on Saturday. Patients started coming around 3 a.m. on the second day of the clinic, according to Carol Quigless, one of the organizers of the event.

Quigless said that they had to turn away about 50 people on Saturday.

As people were screened, health problems were found that prevented them from receiving dental care.

“A couple of people were told to go to the emergency room because of high blood pressure,” Quigless said.

Despite the registration ending early and people being turned away on Saturday, the dentist did work until 5 p.m., as advertised.

Most people seemed relieved that dentist came to fix the dental problems at no cost.

George Stokes of Tarboro and Sabrina Wilson and Thurman Martin, both of Robersonville, all arrived around 7 a.m. for the dental clinic on Friday.

The three shared more in common other than the time they arrived. It was their first year coming to the clinic, none of them had dental insurance and they all agreed that the lack of dental insurance was the reason for the big turnout.

“Some people can’t afford to pay for dental care … no insurance. That’s the biggest problem here,” Wilson said.

When Candice Maye of Wilson heard about the dental clinic on a radio advertisement she figured that gas would be more affordable than trying to save money for dental treatment.

Maye left her house around 5:15 a.m. to receive a service that she had not been able to get in more than 10 years.

Maye said her wisdom teeth had been giving her pain for more than a year.

“Probably off and on for the last year and half but I just haven’t been fortunate enough to go to the dentist because of the cost,” Maye said.

People filled out a form as they were arriving to register, then they went to the triage area to see what kind of work they needed.

From there, they were directed to one of five different waiting areas for fillings, cleanings, extractions, oral surgeries or X-rays.

People were offered bananas and water to stay hydrated during the wait time.

Bernice Pitt of State Farm Insurance in Tarboro donated many cases of water to the clinic.

Theresa Alston of WRSV Soul 92 Jams in Rocky Mount, came out to donate water as well.

Joe Pitt of Ace Home Center in Tarboro donated three fans to help keep people cool while waiting.

Roberta Cashwell filled the need of paper towels and toilet paper for the clinic.

Dickens Funeral Home and Carlisle Funeral Home, both of Tarboro, donated canopies to create shaded areas outside during the wait.

Anita Barnes of Tarboro came on Saturday to help clean up and Leonard Giles was the only one that came to help pack up and load equipment on to the trucks, according to Quigless.

Quigless suggested that another dental clinic will be planned for next year and that people have already expressed interest in volunteering.