Everyone should be able to go to the dentist, according to the Amsterdam Foundation for Special Needs. That is why they are organizing a donation campaign for vulnerable Amsterdam residents with a small budget, who would otherwise not be able to go to the dentist. The need appears to be great: last year hundreds of Amsterdam residents were able to take advantage of this scheme. Marion is one of them. “It was better for me to get dentures. This was just way too expensive.”
The Amsterdam Special Needs Fund (FBNA) is the link between care providers of vulnerable Amsterdam residents and organizations and companies that can contribute. Sometimes this concerns a donation, other times it concerns help in practice. The care providers are in direct contact with the vulnerable group, which is why they are best able to see when there is need within a household. For example, people who need it can get a washing machine or new furniture.
In 2022, the FBNA started a donation campaign for Amsterdam residents who have not been to the dentist for years. As a result of that action, the municipality gave the foundation €400,000, with which they were able to help many Amsterdam residents in one fell swoop. Over the past two years, the foundation has helped four hundred people go to the dentist. Unfortunately, the pot has now run out and the demand from care providers remains worryingly high.
Marion Stroet (54) is one of the people who was helped last year. The Amsterdam woman from Bijlmer needed new dentures, but lives on benefits because she is incapacitated for work due to a psychiatric condition.
“I never went to the dentist because of a trauma in my youth. The only time I went was for a tooth extraction. But because I had no molars left, it was better for me to get dentures. This was for me just way too expensive. I can barely afford my groceries,” says Marion.
She asked her psychiatric institution if she could have dentures and received help from social worker Nel. She helped her with the donation request and sent the quote for the new teeth. Ultimately, Marion received 1,700 euros from the foundation.
Cost
Marion’s high amount is not unusual. “We discovered that the Amsterdam residents who need these appointments have often been going to the dentist for a long time, sometimes never at all,” says Marita Tolman, director of FBNA. “That is why their dental appointments are not just regular check-ups, but often involve very expensive treatments.”
An average donation per person is easily around a thousand euros. “A lot often has to be done. People are missing teeth and molars. The condition of the teeth is often so bad that it becomes difficult to even go,” says Tolman.
One-time gift
The campaign concerns a one-off donation, but the foundation plans to make the dental plan structural by entering into sustainable contacts with dental practices. Tolman wants to ask dental practices if they would like to support them in kind and not charge for the care.
Many of the people who contact FBNA are already covered by the collective insurance of the municipality of Amsterdam, with coverage of up to 150 euros for inspections. “But more expensive insurance is often unaffordable for them. Even with coverage of 150 euros, the problem is not solved,” says Marita. The municipality has already provided higher coverage, but that seems to be only half the solution for Marita. “We also have to look at a sustainable way.”
According to Marita, a large number of people who need help did not grow up with a dental check-up twice a year. “That was very normal at my home, but it is not self-evident,” she says. “The dentist is free for children up to the age of eighteen, but even they don’t always go if their parents don’t go either.” Tolman therefore believes that it should be normalized that everyone can go to the dentist.
In any case, Marion is very happy with the donation she received last year. “I was already looking at how I would pay for it with my benefits. I wanted to ask the dentist if I could pay it in installments, but when I heard about the donation I felt really happy.”