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The pandemic has created a bigger need for affordable dental care. A Charlotte nonprofit is trying to help.

A Charlotte-based nonprofit says they've seen a 20% increase in patients needing care in free dental clinics during the pandemic. It's especially bad for children.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — America's Tooth Fairy, a Charlotte nonprofit that helps kids across the country receive dental care, says the COVID-19 pandemic has made the need greater than ever before. 

The organization has spent the last year trying to help clinics get supplies and staff members at a time when so many people suddenly lost access to basic dental care. 

"The need is really great," Dr. Quiana Robinson, operator of the Charlotte Community Health Clinic, said. "We're always getting inundated with calls."

Before the pandemic, Robinson and her staff went into schools and other organizations to give dental care to people who couldn't afford it. She says a lot of their clients have insurance but still can't afford to pay for treatment and routine visits. 

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Robinson's clinic was shut down for eight months because of COVID-19, creating a backlog of patients. Her group is facing the same struggles as so many industries: Supply and staffing shortages. 

"Our biggest issue is bringing team members on," Robinson said. Most of our workforce is women. Some decided to stay home during the pandemic so it's been a challenge."

The Charlotte Community Health Clinic gets a lot of help from America's Tooth Fairy, which just happens to be based in the Queen City. They work with organizations nationwide that provide free or affordable dental care to patients, offering everything from money to supplies and educational materials. In the last year, they've helped 20% more patients at these clinics than the year before. 

Many of us take for granted going to the dentist, and few of us love it, but we do it. Now, one in four kids is dealing with untreated tooth decay.

"They all report serious issues having a number of kids that were on the right track, doing well and now are looking at emergency situations," Jill Malmgren, executive director of America's Tooth Fairy, told WCNC Charlotte. "Where they might have been in the pipeline to get those oral health care needs met, then with closings and delays and backlogs, now those children are suffering and in pain."

Robinson said her clinic wouldn't have survived this year without donations from America's Tooth Fairy. 

"They kept us going during the pandemic," she said. 

Contact Michelle at mboudin@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

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