Submitted by Fish for Teeth

Islanders unable to afford dental care can receive it for free thanks to the local nonprofit Fish for Teeth from Thursday, Oct. 4-Saturday, Oct. 6. On Thursday, the van will be located at the Lopez Center for Community and Arts, and on Friday and Saturday, it will be parked at the Mullis Community Senior Center on San Juan.

Fish for Teeth sponsors a mobile dental van for dental clinics in the San Juans, three times a year. The Medical Teams International’s van can handle dental hygiene appointments to root canals.

Patients are seen by appointment only. Pick up applications at the San Juan Island Family Resource Center, the Lopez Family Resource Center or the county health department. They can also be downloaded at www.fishforteeth.com. Those on San Juan can submit applications to the San Juan County Health Department on Rhone Street, while Lopez patients can turn them into the island’s resource center at 160 Village Road. Volunteers, not the county health department employees, determine scheduling before the clinic, based on severity and space.

To raise funds, Fish for Teeth volunteers will sell fish tacos at 11 a.m., Friday, Oct. 5, outside the San Juan Community Theatre box office until they sell out. Tacos, which are as large as burritos, are made with Alaskan rockfish harvest and topped with Pablitos Salsa, Tillamook cheese, fresh greens and a squeeze of lime. Volunteers ask for an $8 donation per taco.

Matt Marinkovich formed Fish for Teeth in 2007, after noticing a community need for affordable dental care. The Fish for Teeth board, comprised of fishermen and dental professionals, sponsors the mobile clinic every January, May and October in the San Juans. Fish for Teeth receives no federal funding and relies solely on tax-deductible donations.

For info, visit www.fishforteeth.com or email fishforteeth@rockisland.com.