While many people sympathize with struggling families, Kalispell dentist Tom Pittaway and his staff put their skills into some of the neediest teeth in town.

On Saturday, Pittaway hosts his third free clinic beginning at 8 a.m. at his Kalispell offices at 124 First Ave. W. in Plaza West. In honor of Children’s Dental Health Month, the Saturday event provides cleanings and emergency dental treatments to children under 18.

“The goal is to help people in need,” he said. “I think, mostly, that’s who shows up.”

In January, Pittaway and his staff, his dentist brother John, and local oral surgeon Dr. David Weber and his staff treated more than 80 patients. Donated dental services that day added up to $27,500.

At the first free clinic in December 2009, they helped more than 60 people. By 8 a.m. on the day of the second clinic, the line stretched down the block for dental services provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

“The first patient said the line started at 3 a.m.,” he said. “A lot of people came at 5 or 6 a.m.”

Pittaway was not entirely surprised at the response. He had observed a lot of parents doing without dental care so their children could have care.

Even regular patients have been cutting back in recent years.

“I’ve had patients, who always come in, decline X-rays to keep the cost down,” he said.

His one-day free clinics have no access to lab work so they can’t make extensive repairs like crowns. Pittaway said they fix cavities, relieve pain and “make people look a little prettier.”

One free clinic patient who worked as a waitress in Columbia Falls received a life-changing improvement. Both of her front teeth had decayed to the point that she never smiled.

Pittaway drilled out the black decay and filled her teeth to restore attractive white front teeth. Her picture after the treatment showed her emotional reaction.

“She’s crying in this photo,” he said. “She could actually smile for the first time. ”

Experiences like that make Pittaway happy that he followed his family’s tradition.

Born in Germany to an Army dentist father and a dental hygienist mother, Pittaway grew up in Calgary from about age 4 where his family had moved and become “landed immigrants.” His father had an orthodontic practice in Calgary.

He said his father often talked to him and his siblings about the advantages of dentistry.

“My dad always lectured us that you could be your own boss,” he said. “That turned out to be partly true.”

Always “kind of a science kid,” Pittaway said he particularly liked biology in school. After completing a Bachelor’s of Science degree at Gonzaga University in Spokane, he attended and graduated from Washington University School of Dental Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., in 1988.

Following in his  brother’s footsteps, Pittaway first practiced in the Canadian Arctic for almost three years.

“I was the only dentist in a thousand miles,” he said. “We would fly around at 40 below.”

To thaw out, Pittaway flew directly south to Hawaii, again following John. He practiced with his brother as he pondered where to take his career next.

“I was going to stay six months,” he said with a laugh. “I ended up staying three years.”

Eventually, Pittaway said he began to think about moving north. He decided to explore the Flathead Valley, which he had discovered on skiing trips with his family.

“I remembered being a kid and being up on Big Mountain,” Pittaway said.

As it turned out, two well-established Kalispell dentists, Fred Allen and Bob Orser were trying to retire. In 1993, Pittaway went to work with them and agreed to take over their Kalispell practice.

It was just in time as both developed serious health issues.

“Within a year, neither one of them was working any more,” he said.

Things went well for the next decade. But after about 10 years, Pittaway said he began to feel that he wasn’t as good a dentist as he could be.

“I was getting tired of drill and fill,” he said. “I wanted to treat people with bigger problems.”

Pittaway signed up for advanced training at the prestigious Kois Center in Seattle. He said he built on what he learned in dental school.

The center was founded by Dr. John C. Kois to teach the latest advances in esthetics, implant and restorative dentistry.

“He takes all the research done in dentistry and boils it down to what’s practical, what’s doable, and what’s tried and true,” he said. “He’s a prosthodontist. That’s cosmetic dentistry — all the fancy stuff.”

 With the training from the Kois Center, Pittaway said he had a system to assess and treat people with extensive dental problems.

“When people come in with destroyed teeth, I can make them work right,” he said.

Pittaway, now a Kois mentor, said he first got the idea for free dental clinics while interacting with his peers from around the country at the center. Several had taken dental missions to Third World countries such as Haiti and others put on free dental days for their own communities.

For about the last seven years, he said he and his staff had put on a free pancake breakfast as a community thank-you during fair week. According to Pittaway, lots of people come and have a great time.

“But giving out pancakes doesn’t help anyone very much,” Pittaway said. “I thought, ‘What else can we do?’” 

He remembered the idea of the free dental day that he heard about at the Kois Center. By this time, he had the help of his brother who had joined his practice after 22 years in Hawaii.

With an oral surgeon also on board, the first free clinic helped a wide range of problems.

“Dr. David Weber was a great help — he could do the serious stuff,” Pittaway said. “We did it again this year on Jan. 15 and Dr. Weber brought his entire staff.”

He hoped to have a pediatric dentist help out at Saturday’s children’s clinic.

According to Pittaway, he finds doing good rewarding on many fronts.

He incorporates it into his marketing efforts such as the clinic’s candy buy-back event at Halloween and a $77 special that donated 35 percent of the money to the food bank and gave patients an array of services including X-rays, exams and cleanings.

“In December, we did another special for the Salvation Army toy program. We were able to raise $500 for them,” he said. “That way, it’s a win-win. They’re not just getting their teeth cleaned, they’re helping other people. It’s kind of a double bonus.”

Pittaway said he enjoys coming up with unique ideas that no one else has tried. He said he has never been very good at self-promoting advertising, but events such as the Saturday children’s free clinic fit his style and personality.

The dentist, who with his wife, Holly, have a blended family of seven children at home, said he hopes they have a positive influence on the future dental health of those children and teenagers who attend.

According to Pittaway, one grateful smile, like that of the Columbia Falls woman, repays him, the other dentists, hygienists and other staff.

“That makes the whole day worthwhile,” he said.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.