By Stephanie Loder
Navy Lt. Dr. Deryck Pham served a tour as a combat dentist during Operation Iraqi Freedom in the deserts of Iraq.
After leaving the military and joining a private dental practice in Mays Landing, he has taken on a new mission that would help his fellow veterans receive needed dental care once a year.
From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 19, Brickworks Dental will extend free dental services to veterans during Veterans Smile Weekend.
Pre-registration is not required but is suggested.
“We have veterans who call and others just show up,” said Pham, who sent fliers out to area VFW and American Legion organizations in Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland counties to promote the event. “We stay until the job is done.”
Brickworks is one of hundreds of dental offices across the country that open their doors to provide dental services for veterans at no cost.
Exams, fillings, cleanings, extractions, and root canals are all provided free of charge, Pham said.
In 2023, Brickworks Dental treated over 120 veterans and provided over $60,000 in free dental services, he said.
Pham expects 40 to 50 volunteer dentists, assistants, and hygienists will be available at Brickworks.
“They will be treating the dental needs of our nation’s neglected veterans,” Pham said. “Many of them are friends of mine who have other dental practices.”
Pham founded The Veterans Smile Day Foundation in 2012 which he created to help raise awareness of the lack of dental care that veterans face in the nation.
The foundation is a nonprofit 501(3)c and it aims to recruit dental professionals and corporate sponsorships to help fill in that void by “Serving Those Who’ve Served”.
“I wanted to raise money and awareness for a national campaign and for recruiting across the country,” Pham said.
Nationwide, similar free dental events are held in many states.
“They’re held on various dates in a few hundred offices and about a dozen dental schools,” Pham said.
Pham said of the 23 million veterans in the nation, more than 85% of them do not qualify for any kind of dental care through the Veterans Administration.
While the Veterans Affairs health care system offers comprehensive dental care benefits to certain qualifying veterans — more than 600,000 veterans were provided dental care in 2022. Of the 7.8 million veterans enrolled in the system, 85% were ineligible for VA dental benefits, according to a 2024 report by the American Dental Association (ADA).
Receiving VA dental care benefits hinges on many factors, such as military service history, current health status, and living situation.
To qualify for VA dental benefits, veterans must either have a dental issue that is service-connected or meet other on criteria like being a former prisoner of war or having a total disability, according to the ADA.
The free dental program, Serving Those Who’ve Served – a Veterans Smile Day, began nine years ago.
It is a day when dentists can make a difference and help veterans who often are forgotten when it comes to dental care, Pham said.
“Sometimes we are here after hours,” Pham said. “We take care of everyone who comes in the door and if we can’t fit everyone in, I end up putting them on my schedule later in the year.”
No one is turned away, he said.
Pham and his team at the Veterans Smile Day Foundation work hard each year to recruit more offices to participate.
His goal is to help every veteran find a dental home.
For more information or to schedule a Smile Day appointment, call Brickworks Dental, 5429 Harding Hwy, No. 101, Mays Landing at 609-625-0505.
Veterans also can find other locations by visiting http://www.veteranssmileday.org and putting in a zip code.
Stephanie is a freelance writer with 40 years experience covering NJ news for The Asbury Park Press, The Courier Post, The Catholic Star Herald and The Press of AC. Email her at stephanieloder59@hotmail.com
