With 15 hours to go before Alaska Mission of Mercy started seeing patients, Martha Flores had plenty of time to write a letter and read a book. She sat on a camp chair under a portable nylon shelter on Seventh Avenue in downtown Anchorage and held her spot in line for the no-cost dental care clinic.
Flores, who has no dental insurance, said she was motivated to make certain she would be seen. She needed a root canal and other procedures for which she was told would cost thousands when she called a dentist's office. She also expected the line to grow far longer by evening.
"I'm here to see what they can do for me," she said. Organizers expect more than 1,400 others will follow her through the doors of the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center Friday and Saturday.
This week's event is the third time Alaska dental care providers will team up to donate their services. It was held in Anchorage in 2014 and in Fairbanks last year. Anchorage dentist Julie Robinson, who organizes the event with her husband David Nielson, said 190 dentists, 100 hygienists and close to 200 assistants are lending a hand this time. All are volunteers.
The dental care -- offered on a first-come, first-served basis -- is free.
"You could get in line if you're a millionaire. There's no questions asked," Robinson said. But she said most people fall somewhere in between qualifying for Medicaid and those who have dental insurance or personal wealth.
"These are kind of the working poor," she said. "They just don't make enough money and they don't have enough disposable income to pay for this kind of thing."
As the line on the street indicated, prospective patients should plan on arriving early and waiting for a while for care. That process will start with basic education on dental care, triage and a medical screening.
After that, providers are set up to do extractions, fillings, cleanings, some kinds of root canals, and provide some tooth-replacement devices called flippers. Alaska Mission of Mercy says it has provided $2 million worth of dental care to 2,475 people in its first two years.
On Thursday, volunteers arranged chairs, posted signs and stocked supply shelves as rock music played on the radio on the Dena'ina Center's main convention floor.
Alaska is the 27th state to host a Mission of Mercy event, which began in Virginia 14 years ago, according to its website. For Robinson, this event is a way dentists can contribute to the overall health of the population. In some instances, people need an alternative to living in constant pain from dental issues. Some, she said, cycle in and out of emergency rooms without ever receiving proper dental care.
While a two-day clinic won't fulfill the need that exists in Alaska, Robinson hopes that the event might serve to raise awareness about an underserved population.
"Obviously they can't afford dental care if they're willing to spend 24 hours out there sleeping on concrete," Robinson said of the line outside. "There's a demographic that has an access problem, and what that does is highlight it."
It also rallies dentists to get involved in finding a solution, she said. For Mission of Mercy, she's proud of the participation she's gotten so far.
"We're a relatively small population here," she said. "For us to be successful, we need 35, 40 percent of all the dentists in the entire state to do this."
Outside the convention center's tall glass windows, tents and chairs lined the sidewalk. Several expressed appreciation for the opportunity, however long the wait.
Dan Tischer created a large "Mission of Mercy" sign out of tape and cardboard, which he placed on the Seventh Avenue sidewalk where he intended to camp out. He needed an extraction, he figured. Without Mission of Mercy, he said he'd probably wait until the pain was unbearable before seeking help.
Jennifer Randolph and Claudia Mitchell held the fourth and fifth position in line, both wrapped in blankets. They paired up, they said, to make it easier to hold each other's spot and look out for one another's belongings.
Randolph said waiting overnight was better than the alternative. If she relied on Medicaid, she figured it would take three years to complete the treatment for a broken tooth and a root canal that she needs.
Mitchell, of Anchorage, said it was difficult for her to afford to see a physician, even though she has medical insurance coverage. She said she needed fillings and a repair to her dental plate, expensive care for someone with no dental insurance.
"When you live on a fixed income, it doesn't leave much for anything else," she said.
Doors open Friday at 4:30 a.m. Treatment will be performed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Marc Lester can be reached at mlester@alaskadispatch.com.