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Modesto dentist helping students save money and get needed dental surgery | Everyday Heroes

“We thought we could save some of these kids some money so they could spend it on education,” said Dr. Jacob Barber.

MODESTO, Calif. — Everyday Heroes are all around us and ABC10 wants to highlight the work they do. Every week our viewer nominates people and organizations making a difference in our community.

This week we want to introduce you to Dr. Jacob Barber, a dentist with Greater Modesto Dental Implant and Oral Surgery Centers. He’s one of the many staff members working on the Wisdom for Wisdom initiative.

Wisdom for Wisdom is a short essay program put on by the Greater Modesto Dental Implant and surgery center. The oral surgery practice is providing free surgery to student who needed their wisdom teeth removed.

“We thought we could save some of these kids some money so they could spend it on education,” Dr. Barber said.

This is the first year for the Wisdom for Wisdom initiate. Dr. Barber and his partner Dr. Brett Springer chose two students for the procedure.

Silvia Ruiz was this year’s second recipient. The 17-year-old essay outlined her plans to go to nursing school.

“I put a lot of sentiment into my writing on how I wanted to help my parents and myself. I think that’s what caught their attention,” Ruiz said.

Modesto Dental Implant and Oral Surgery Center’s says they are seeing the financial strain on families as the pandemic persists and many are finding themselves struggling to pay for necessary expenses.

That includes much needed dental treatment while juggling the costs of higher education fees. That’s why they wanted to support students and their families by offsetting their college expenses with free dental work.

The staff at Greater Modesto Dental plans to do more free dental work in the fall. The program is called “Second Chance”.

Dr. Barber says applicants will be able to apply for a surgical implant.

“Basically, this is for someone with failing teeth, maybe no teeth and they are down on their luck. They can apply for a new smile.”

Keep an eye on Modesto Dental Implant and Oral Surgery Center’s website for details in the fall. 

If you want to nominate an Everyday Hero, send and email to John Bartell at jbartell@abc10.com and put Everyday Hero in the subject line.

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