By EMILY BEHLMANN

KMOM Friday

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ebehlmann@gctelegram.com

Michael Maupin has a high tolerance for pain, so his dental problems don't cause him too much pain, the Dodge City man said as he stood outside the Finney County Fairgrounds' West Pavilion Thursday night, with the temperature 34 degrees.

It was 11:30 p.m., and he had arrived just a few minutes before, so he was back a ways in a line that began with Garden City resident Karolyn Derby, who had arrived at 5:30 p.m. to ensure that she would get dental care at the free Kansas Mission of Mercy clinic that would open 12 hours after she showed up.

Between the two were at least 50 others -- people of all ages from places as close as Garden City and as far as Olathe, plus what appeared to be a walking sleeping bag that was managing to stay a little bit warmer than even those in tents and buried under blankets.

Even if the pain is manageable, Maupin said, he's tired of being restricted from most solid foods because of the state of his teeth.

Though he can't afford much in the way of dental services, he's at least talked to a couple dentists, who have said that since he was born premature, his teeth lack the enamel protection they need.

"They said I should have gotten dentures at 21," Maupin said. "Now, 17 years later, I'm finally doing it."

He hoped one of the 108 dentists at the clinic would pull all his teeth today, which he said would be a relief.

Relief is expected to come during the two-day clinic to a lot of residents from southwest Kansas and beyond. Junetta Everett of Wichita, coordinator of patient welcoming, said organizers normally cut off at 1,100 patients each day.

By 11 a.m., they had admitted admitted 880 people, including at least 160 children between ages 3 and 8.

A veteran of seven KMOMs, Everett said organizers normally open doors at 4 a.m., as they will on Saturday.

Those seeking care get a number, fill out a form with basic information and are seated according to the type of service they need -- fillings, extractions and cleanings -- and they gradually proceed to a clinic that fills the fairgrounds' Exhibition Building. More than one type of service means more than one trip through the line, she said.

Everett said the crowd of early patients was smaller than usual, in comparison to KMOM clinics that started in Garden City in 2003 and have been held around the state since then.

When she and other volunteers made the call to break precedent and allow patients to come inside early, at about midnight, they admitted 88.

"It was based on the weather," she said. "We noticed patients were so appreciative of that."

Organizers allowed the patients to take their numbers, then spread out sleeping bags and rest, until early this morning when breakfast of biscuits and gravy was served, music was cranked up, children danced and adults were encouraged to take advantage of educational materials.

Local dentist Jeff Stasch, who created KMOM with Wichita dentist Jon Tilton in 2003, said the slower-than-usual patient flow might be a good thing.

He has no doubt the clinic still will fill to capacity, and if organizers have to stop patient flow too early in the day, they might realize before 5 p.m. closing that they could have served more, he said.

Whatever happens, Stasch said, he tells the volunteers, totaling about 800, to be flexible. That's what he told them, for instance, when there were problems with generators this morning. The concerns were resolved by about 8:30 a.m., he said.

"I don't think it will slow down the clinic," he said.

The clinic, and everyone in it, were operating on autopilot, Stasch said. There were 108 dentists, according to Niki Gustafson of the Kansas Dental Association, and Stasch said each brought proper equipment and knew exactly what he or she was doing.

The clinic is bringing help to people like Mallory Osuwah of Russell, who said she had set up camp outside the West Pavilion at about 7:30 p.m. Friday.

She said she just had a baby, and the pregnancy caused swelling in her mouth and pushing forward of her wisdom teeth. Soon, her gums were split and she was in pain.

Osuwah called all over the state trying to find a place where she could afford to receive dental service, but she had no luck until she heard from a friend about KMOM.

For her, it means $1,800 she otherwise would have to find to care for the problem.

For John Dyck of Sublette, it's hard to say exactly what it means. He said he has some cavities, but can't afford a dentist.

"It means a lot," he said. "We really appreciate this."