Wilmington Dentist Offers Free Exams for Unemployed

Sevak Abrahamian works with teeth on a daily basis. And thanks to his new program, he’ll allow residents to show off their pearly whites by putting a big smile on the face of those who need it the most.

Abrahamian, who runs Sevak Abrahamian DDS, the practice known for a short time as Generation Smile, is offering free exams and cleanings along with discounted x-rays to unemployed Wilmington residents during the month of December.

The idea came to Abrahamian, who has run the Lowell Street practice since 2000, after he saw a Facebook posting about a Virginia dry cleaning business that cleaned suits of unemployed residents for free so they could be dressed well for their upcoming job interviews.

“We had the time in our schedule, so we thought about using that time to help people otherwise unable to get the dental care that they need,” said Abrahamian. “Most of our patients are generations of families, so it’s kind of a give back to the town of Wilmington. I wish we could fix the economy, but this is a small step that we could take.”

In order to be eligible for the free exams, candidates must be able to prove that they are currently unemployed and just as importantly that they live in Wilmington.

Abrahamian said he had his first resident take advantage of the opportunity on Tuesday when a man came in who is a single parent who has been unemployed for about three years.

“He was a relatively healthy patient,” said Abrahamian. “The moment he walked in, he thanked all of us for doing this. When I came in to do my exam, he told me how appreciative he is. He said the stress has really gotten to him, and that this really made his day. It was really nice.”