To be without a home is difficult enough. Couple that with the inability to eat or to sleep without constant pain and life can feel impossible. That’s what it was like for Larry who has been sleeping rough in Eastbourne for a year: “I get toothache and then I get depressed. When I get depressed, I pull my own teeth out. I’ve done it with pliers and sometimes I do it with a spoon. I’ve only got about 5 teeth left now and they all hurt all the time. I come to the Salvation Army most days and that’s how I get my food. But my teeth hurt a lot, and I can’t always eat it”.

Dentaid The Dental Charity has been supporting people in Eastbourne like Larry since 2021. For the most vulnerable members of our community, the barriers to accessing dental care are insurmountable and so they self-medicate or, like Larry, resort to removing their own teeth.

Our charity dental clinics have been life-changing. Our mobile dental service has visited Eastbourne 35 times, providing 960 treatments for 228 people who are experiencing homelessness. Unfortunately, our time here will be drawing to a close as our current funding will run out in July.

Dentaid is working hard to secure new funding channels but as we have seen first hand how community focussed the residents and business owners of Eastbourne are, we are hoping that our plight can harness the kindness of the community.

We are asking if residents, businesses, dental practices, schools, clubs and community groups would come together to fundraise for the provision of these clinics that will directly benefit the most vulnerable people in Eastbourne.

Any donation or fundraising initiative, big or small will make a very real difference to someone’s life and as a community we can work together to bring smiles to Eastbourne.

For more information about this campaign or to get in touch with the fundraising team, please email us on fundraising@dentaid.org

To find out more about our work at Dentaid visit https://www.dentaid.org/