On January 13, Hope Smiles and the Sumner Center at NorthField successfully recruited more than a dozen dentists, hygienists, registered nurses, and dental assistants as well as students from local dental colleges in Nashville and Memphis for a Free Dental Day. They used their gifts and talents to provide no-cost preventative care, dental cleanings, and much-needed extractions to 201 patients!

“God’s hand was in it,” shares Dr. Stephanie Harding, donor of the three-chair dental set up at Sumner Center and owner of Long Hollow Dental in Goodlettsville.

When she graduated The University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis 15 years ago, Dr. Stephanie began intentionally investing in providing no-cost dental care to underserved Middle Tennesseans who needed relief from the pain caused by cavities and gum disease.

When Dr. Stephanie moved her dental practice in fall 2021 from Nashville to Long Hollow Dental in Goodlettsville, her home church, NorthField in Gallatin, was set to open a new addition. This led to a series of promising events for Sumner County and surrounding areas.

Because Long Hollow Dental was a brand-new build with all-new equipment, Dr. Stephanie donated the equipment she used in Nashville to NorthField’s new addition, Sumner Center at NorthField. A partnership was formed, and a game plan was put in motion.

Together, they collaborated with Hope Smiles, a local dental nonprofit whose commitment is to help establish Christ-centered community dental care for those who may not receive help otherwise. They began applying for grant money from the state of Tennessee and received it.

“When finances are tight, people tend to put dental care on the back burner and pain is managed or ignored,” Dr. Stephanie says. “Therefore, the bacteria build, causing an abscess and someone possibly ending up in the ER.”

Dr. Stephanie Harding shares that along with outside stressors, there can be fear and anxiety related to dental work. On Free Dental Day, friendly faces from NorthField Church helped those seeking services find their way through campus, offered much needed administrative assistance, and showed compassion through counseling and prayer with participants who desired to do that.

“It does help to have someone who will hold your hand and pray with you,” Dr. Stephanie says.

To go along with the overall commitment to serve Sumner County on a more regular basis, additional grant money has been received to provide for the hiring of a local dentist two days a week, utilizing the equipment Dr. Stephanie donated to the Sumner Center at NorthField.

You can reserve your seat for extraction or cleaning services by calling the Sumner Center at NorthField, 615-989-3537, and scheduling a visit during weekly office hours.