Oral Surgeon Helps College Students Pursue Wisdom without Tooth Pain
Summertime initiative provides those in need with extractions before university classes resume
College students have enough to worry about without the pain of wisdom teeth that need removal as an added stressor.
That’s why Park Cities Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates created Wisdom for Wisdom. The initiative, only its second year, aims to help two students a year by providing free wisdom teeth extractions to those in the most financial need.
“It’s designed to assist, I would say, an underprivileged person, or someone who doesn’t have the means but needs to get their wisdom teeth removed,” said Dr. William Phillips, an oral surgeon at Park Cities Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates. “This year, we were able to help two young ladies whose mothers are teachers. They just went off to school, one to Texas State and one to Alabama. We’re just happy to give back in that capacity.”
“It’s something I can do for someone else that means a lot. And it’s something we do every day, so it helps me remember to not take that for granted.”
Dr William Phillips
Elyse Young, 20 of Plano, and a junior at The University of Alabama wrote about her need before having her wisdom teeth extracted this summer. “To have the pain taken away and the cost of this procedure alleviated would be such an unimaginable relief.”
The practice also helps students with programs such as Healthcare Pathways, a one-day event that allows middle and high school students interested in medical careers to hear from professionals and meet representatives of colleges and nonprofits.
Phillips explained that Wisdom for Wisdom runs during the summertime and is advertised through their social media. Students submit essays describing their situations, and recipients are selected based on the greatest financial need.
“Some friends of mine came up with the idea to create a program like this, and I was just really intrigued and excited about it,” Phillips said. “It’s something I can do for someone else that means a lot. And it’s something we do every day, so it helps me remember to not take that for granted.
“People always want to provide for their children but may not have all the means or know how they’re going to do that this year,” he said. “We’re glad to be able to provide care to someone who probably wasn’t going to receive it, and especially this year, there’s more risk of ending up at the hospital or ending up in urgent care facilities, where they really don’t need to go for these kinds of situations.”
Share a Smile: Park Cities Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates also has initiatives for nonstudents. Share A Smile provides a North Texan with a free new permanent set of teeth through full-arch restoration treatment (typically costing $50,000). The application period runs through Oct. 8. Visit parkcitiesoms.com/shareasmile
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