TROON fishermen and their families will be getting a mouthful this festive period with free dental care now on offer.

The new initiative from Seafarers Hospital Society and the Fishermen’s Mission is set to offer free dental checks and initial treatment for working fishermen and their families in the town.

Gaining initial funding from Seafarers UK, the SeaFit programme has commissioned Troon Dental Studio to offer the free work for fishermen working out of the local area.

With exceptional experience in the dental trade, Troon Dental Practice has been offering private dental treatment to the local community in Barassie Street for fifty years.

The walk-in clinics will be on offer to fishermen and their respective families on the second Friday of each month from 2pm – 6.30pm at the clinic, just a fifteen-minute walk from the harbour.

The clinic will provide all costs to initial treatment including emergency fillings, scale and polish and any x-rays that are required.

Chris Grant, a dentist at the surgery, explained how the initiative took off and his delight at being able to offer their services to the hard-working fishermen in the town. He said: “I know how hard it can be for fishermen to get access to dental treatment when it’s convenient to them.

“I’d heard about what they’d been doing in the South, offering free dental checks and treatment to fishermen on a mobile dental unit based in the harbour. We don’t have a mobile unit, but we’re really close to the harbour, so we’re ideally placed for the fishing community. I contacted the local Fishermen’s Mission and it’s just taken off from there.”

The new clinic will be run on a first come first basis from last Friday December 14. Chris added: “There’s no need to book. Just turn up on a clinic day any time from 2pm-6.30pm, and you’ll be treated as soon as possible. It’s first come, first served, so be sure to arrive early!”

SeaFit is a joint initiative from respected maritime charities, the Fishermen’s Mission and Seafarers Hospital Society (SHS) and speaking on his new partnership, Chief Executive of the Fishermen’s Mission David Dickens explained: “This is a great initiative by Troon Dental Studio and we look forward to seeing how the local community responds.

“If it proves to be popular, we’ll do what we can to make sure it continues in the long-term. And we’ll be encouraging other dental practices around the UK to consider adopting similar schemes.”