VIENNA – A Vienna dental practice was able to offer a local veteran some dental care free of charge when he could not pay for it on his own.

Aspen Dental in Vienna recently offered U.S. Army veteran James McClung, 63, of Belpre to pull a bad tooth, address gum disease issues and do general maintenance work. He received a scaling and root cleaning, free of charge.

His wife, Nancy, saw Aspen was offering free dental work for local veterans on June 27. McClung, who served from around 1968 to 1972, was stationed in Germany as a Pershing missile crewman and worked with mobile nuclear missiles.

“She knew I had a bad tooth and I never would have come and seen them if she hadn’t brought it up,” he said. “We called and set it up and these guys have been wonderful.

“They not only extracted the tooth that needed extracted, but discovered that I had the start of a gum disease which can be bad for your heart,” he said.

McClung said there is a history of heart problems in his family which could be compounded if he had nothing done.

Tim Smith, office manager for the Vienna practice, said when McClung first came in and Dr. William F. Buckley Jr. saw what was going on, they talked to him about options.

In the beginning, they were looking at payment options. However, Nancy has had her own health concerns and each option was beyond their ability to effectively pay.

That is when the team at Aspen looked into doing the work for free. The corporate office allows them to pick someone to help for free, if circumstances call for it.

“What touched me was his wife,” Smith said. “She had her illness but really needed him to be OK. That hit home. My heart went out to her.”

He checked with the professionals in the office and they brought the couple back and explained what they were willing to do for them.

“It has meant the world to me,” McClung said. “I am on disability. I could not afford to go to the dentist. I had no dental insurance.

“I was ecstatic to just get my tooth pulled. They then found all of this other stuff and said they were going to do it all for free. I could not believe it. They have been super,” McClung said.

Before McClung was always conscious of his bad breath, he said.

“I feel better about smiling now and I have a better outlook on things,” he said. “I went out and got an electric toothbrush which I had never had in my life. I am old school.

“I actually enjoy brushing my teeth now.”

Smith said they are offering McClung free comprehensive care for the rest of the year. Once his initial problems are addressed, they will work on helping him maintain good oral health.

“We can’t help everyone, but it is nice to work for a company that gives us this option to be able to help folks in this way,” Smith said.

McClung is thankful to the people at Aspen Dental for all they have done for him.

“They have been fantastic,” he said. “I feel a lot better now.

“They are doing great work and I really appreciate it. They need the recognition. They have all been super,” McClung said.