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Needy Get Free Care From Comfort Dental On Christmas Eve

DENVER (CBS4) - Thousands of people across the state had something to smile about on Christmas Eve after Comfort Dental offered free dental care to those in need.

For some it was the only time of year they get to visit a dentist.

"I'm very nervous but I'm pretty excited to finally get it out of the way." 21-year-old Chris Schimmer said.

Schimmer skipped the long lines at the mall this Christmas Eve for a trip to the dentist. He's had a procedure done at Comfort Dental for free.

"The right half of my mouth is numb right now. I'm getting one of my teeth pulled," he said.

Doctors had been busy since 7:30 a.m. attending to many patients who don't have insurance. They waited all morning for the Free Dental Care Day.

"I'm really surprised actually. It's really nice that someone would do this, especially on Christmas Eve; take time out of their day to come in and help people," Schimmer said.

"There's just no better feeling than having somebody be so thankful that you can do something for them to help them out," Dr. Todd Light said. "There's people that wait all year long to do this."

Dentists expected to see about 75 to 100 patients in just a 4-hour window.

"My teeth would be in a lot worse shape. Who knows what my health would be like?" patient Julia Kouris said.

In just a few short minutes, Schimmer's tooth was out. He still had time left in the day to finish what he has left to do to get ready for the Christmas holiday.

The event is an annual Christmas Eve tradition. Last year Comfort Dental offices in nine states helped more than 7,000 patients.

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