After Jenna Bowker's husband was injured in Iraq in January 2009, he was treated for traumatic brain and spine injuries.  Bowker, a neuroscientist and a busy mother of a 6-year-old, suffers from bone sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.

These days the Pennsburg couple finds itself buried in a massive pile of medical bills. They receive medical insurance from the U.S. Army—but it doesn't include dental care.

        "I have Sjogren's autoimmune disease where I don't produce enough saliva and the saliva that I do produce doesn't attack plague and bacteria. Anyone with Sjogren's experience a constant dry mouth and you have horrible teeth genetically from that. It's a medical condition that is not covered through my medical even though it's caused by a medical disorder," Bowker explained as she stood in line outside the Red Hill Dental office early last Saturday morning to take part in an all-day "Dentistry From the Heart" event.

        Bowker was among 102 local residents who received dental care for free, regardless of insurance coverage. Procedures such as cleaning, filling and extraction were provided on the spot for those in financial need or without medical insurance.

        Bowker said she suffers from several autoimmune diseases and is on 28 different prescription medications with copays at $50 each. Along with her husband's medical bills, she spends over $700 monthly in prescription copays, not including any visits for dental work. And because no other dental office in the area accepts Tricare, the Army's healthcare provider, she's forced to drive to a military medical facility in Radnor.

        "I had sepsis from an abscessed tooth that almost killed me so that's why this service is so necessary for people who cannot afford dental insurance," Bowker said.

        People began lining up as early as 7 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 for a chance to get help. According to event volunteers, one patient secured his spot in line at 9:30 p.m. on Friday night and told arriving staff members Saturday morning that he wanted his smile back.

        The event was organized and led by Dr. Michael Bonomo and his 34-member staff from the practice's Red Hill and Quakertown offices. Periodonist Dr. Sidney Lyons from Quakertown and Dr. John Lignelli II, an oral surgeon from Pottstown, provided specialty care throughout the day.

        "I've known about this process and we've had several of our staff members volunteer at a statewide organization. The plan was to bring this to a local level to help our community," Bonomo said. "We have the ability to give of ourselves today and to do that in our own profession is priceless for us."

        The event was sanctioned by the national Dentistry from the Heart organization, which was founded by Dr. Vincent J. Monticciolo, a dentist from Florida, 14 years ago.  According to the foundation's website, more than 300 similar events hosted across the country and around the world each year, giving millions of dollars in free dentistry. 

        Bonomo said that he starts preparing for the next year's event a whole year in advance.

        He was overcome with emotion when he spoke about the volunteers, his staff and especially his family members who helped to make this year's event a success,

"I'm blessed to have my family, my kids, my wife and my mother-in-law, step up and help out. It's really nice that they get to do this with us."

        Even though his goal is to reach more local residents by offering a free care once a year, Bonomo said in the past patients as far as New Jersey and West Virginia have visited his clinic.

        "A part of what we look to moving forward is being able to reach more members of our community," Bonomo said. "As we grow and learn from what we do year to year, we hope to make this event even stronger."