Fish For Teeth brings mobile dental clinic to Friday Harbor

Friday – Saturday, January 24 – 25, Friday Harbor

— from Hayley Day —

Islanders can receive affordable dental care, thanks to the local nonprofit Fish For Teeth, on Friday, Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at the Mullis Community Center on San Juan Island.

“Many volunteers and local businesses work as a team to bring this service to those who cannot otherwise afford dental care,” said Fish For Teeth Founder Matt Marinkovich, a San Juan Island commercial fisherman.

Fish For Teeth sponsors a mobile dental van for dental clinics on San Juan Island, up to four times a year. The van can handle a variety of services, from teeth cleanings to root canals.

Patients are seen by appointment only. Pick up applications at the San Juan Island Family Resource Center or the county health department, or download them at www.fishforteeth.com. Submit applications to the San Juan County Health Department on Rhone Street. Volunteers, not the county health department employees, determine scheduling a week before the clinic, based on severity and space. Usually, about 30 people are treated during a two-day clinic.

To raise funds for the van, Fish for Teeth will sell fish tacos on Friday, Jan. 24. Check www.fishforteeth.com for the location. Tacos, which are as large as burritos, are $8 each and made with Alaskan rockfish harvest. They are topped with Pablitos salsa, Tillamook cheese, fresh greens and a squeeze of lime.

Marinkovich formed Fish For Teeth in 2007, after noticing a community need for affordable dental care. The Fish For Teeth Board, comprised of local fishermen and dental professionals, sponsors the mobile dental clinic every January, March, May and October in the San Juan Islands. Fish For Teeth receives no government funding and relies solely on donations, which are tax-deductible.

For more information, visit www.fishforteeth.com or contact fishforteeth@rockisland.com.