LIHU‘E — The day and years slipped by quickly for Dr. Joseph Chu of Kaua‘i Endodontics on Wednesday.
“It just slipped my mind,” Chu said. “This marks the 10th year we’ve been doing this free dental day for Valentine’s Day. And this year is not only the 10th year we’ve done this, the Chinese lunar new year falls on Friday, too. This is special.”
Kaua‘i Endodontics provided free dental work for this calendar of appointments in celebration of Valentine’s Day.
Additionally, each client received a special goodie bag packed by the Kaua‘i Endodontics staff and included dental and oral care products topped with a Valentine’s Day treat.
“This is tradition,” Chu said. “We usually do the free dental day during the weekday leading to Valentine’s. It somehow ended to be Wednesday, this year.”
Chu said he’s been speaking with a lot of the medical and dental clinics who say there is an increase in the need for dental work because of the ongoing COVID-19 anxieties.
Lynne Lum, who has been working with Kaua‘i Endodontics from the first free dental day, 10 years ago, remembers the event taking place in Dr. Chu’s former office located across the street. She also remembers when Dr. Greg Naganuma started the free dental day program many years ago, and the impact of having affordable dental care on patients, many of whom were houseless, or economically distressed that dental care was not a priority.
Kaua‘i Endodontics offers services in Root Canal Therapy, Endodontic Surgery, and Endodontic Retreatment.
Its office hours are Mondays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and available by phone for scheduling, Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
