Organizers expect that 500 patients per day will receive free, much-needed dental care at the Carlson Center, Healthy Smiles Dental reports

Anchorage, AK -- (SBWire) -- 08/11/2015 --Healthy Smiles Dental, the most trusted dental clinic in Anchorage, announced that head dentist Dr. Terry J. Preece and staff members will head to the Carlson Center in Fairbanks to take part in this year's Alaska Mission of Mercy event. Event organizers there hope to provide much-needed dental services to up to 1,000 people over the course of two days, focusing particularly on those patients with the most pressing needs. Last year's inaugural Alaska Mission of Mercy was a resounding success, with hundreds of patients collectively receiving over $1 million worth of dental care, and Healthy Smiles Dental is proud to participate in this year's event.

"Although we are normally open every weekday, we'll be closed on August 6 and 7 for a very good reason," Healthy Smiles Dental founder Dr. Terry J. Preece said, "We look forward to helping out at the Alaska Mission of Mercy in Fairbanks this weekend and will see our valued Anchorage patients once again on Monday. We're honored to be able to give something back through volunteering at this wonderful event."

For decades, philanthropically inclined dentists and other medical professionals have sought to lend help in developing countries through the manning of temporary clinics where locals could receive free care. Even given the success of such initiatives over much of the world, it was not until relatively recently that this model was applied to the United States with a special event in Virginia that the organizers dubbed a "Mission of Mercy."

Since the impressive success of that first gathering of volunteers and needy patients, more than 70 other Missions of Mercy have been held in 26 different states around the country. Last year, organizers hosted the first Alaska Mission of Mercy dental clinic, lining up 1,332 volunteers who provided more than $1 million in care to over 1,500 patients at the Dena'ina Center in Anchorage. Alaska Mission of Mercy organizers predict that this year's event will be even more successful, supplying even more care, in relative terms, to the residents of Fairbanks, a city of about one-third the population of Anchorage.

As a highly trusted, community-focused dentist in anchorage for years now, Dr. Terry J. Preece is happy to be able to bring the services of Healthy Smiles Dental to this year's Alaska Mission of Mercy in Fairbanks. Preece has a history of helping under-served patients, having spent years practicing at a community health clinic on Wrangell, an Alaskan island with around 2,000 residents.

Since then, Preece has become the general and cosmetic dentist anchorage residents trust and recommend more than any other. At Healthy Smiles Dental, formerly the Anchorage Healthy Smiles Center, Preece and staff members work closely with each patient to provide the most suitable dental care and cosmetic treatments. Those interested in learning more about Healthy Smiles Dental can do so at the clinic's website and can follow the clinic on Facebook for updates concerning this year's Alaska Mission of Mercy in Fairbanks and other news.

About Healthy Smiles Dental
With a full range of top-quality general and cosmetic dentistry services and a commitment to personal, focused, care, Healthy Smiles Dental is led by Dr. Terry J. Preece, the most trusted dentist in Anchorage.