College of Dentistry alum puts veterans first
Dr. Stan Lowrance, Baylor College of Dentistry, Class of 1981, with a patient at Dental Day for Veterans Day.
It started as a small gesture of kindness.
Dr. Stan Lowrance (Baylor College of Dentistry, Class of 1981), longtime owner of Lowrance Dental in Rockwall, was treating a veteran who was also undergoing chemotherapy treatments. He told Lowrance that a nurse in his physician’s office was also a veteran going through chemotherapy, and all her teeth were ruined; she was devastated and didn’t qualify for extensive dental care through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“She came over to (my) office, and I ended up extracting all her teeth and putting in four implants,” Lowrance said.
That was nine years ago.
Lowrance now dedicates one day a year to offering dental care at no charge to veterans. Dental Day for Veterans Day, also known as D-Day for V-Day, provides health checks, oral cancer checks and dental treatment to veterans who register with Terry Fisher American Legion Post 117 in Rockwall. More than 80 veterans received care Nov. 7, thanks to Lowrance, his team, and a host of volunteers, including area dentists and dental hygienists.
“We see six (patients) about every 20 minutes or so …,” he said. “We saw 81 last year. The first year I had it, we saw 56; then we just got better at it, and the American Legion got better at it.”
It’s happened every year except 2020. Monetary donations and proceeds from t-shirt sales promoting the event cover some of the costs, but more money is always needed.
Lowrance, who also has a long history of missionary work, and the other dental professionals – including Dr. Shanae Lowrance, his daughter (Texas A&M Baylor College of Dentistry, Class of 2019) – clean each veteran’s teeth and provide dental work that can be completed immediately. More extensive dental work is performed on later dates.
“For some of these people, they’ve never had their teeth cleaned since they got out of the military,” he said.
Dr. Logan Callier of North Texas Family & Cosmetic Dentistry in Garland (Texas A&M Baylor College of Dentistry, Class of 2016) was one of many volunteers at this year’s event.
Veterans range from those in their 20s to those in their 90s. Some veterans seen at the event do go on to become permanent patients of Lowrance Dental.
“These (veterans) love each other,” Lowrance said. “They are brothers.”
Lowrance said they always need more volunteers, especially dental hygienists. Two dental hygienists work on each patient to keep things moving quickly.
“We start at 7:30 a.m., and we close the doors when everything is done,” he said.