CENTRAL KITSAP – A Silverdale dentist was one of the volunteers who provided dental work at no cost to 14 individuals at a Kitsap County Stand Down at the county fairgrounds April 4.

Dr. Steven Haws with Clear Creek Dentistry in Silverdale said several veterans attended the stand down and that work done that day to improve their teeth included everything from fillings to extractions.

“It’s just a nice thing to do for veterans in this area,” Haws said. “They’re going to do it again in October. This whole organization is out there helping veterans.”

Haws said there were some veterans who needed dental assistance that they could not get from Veterans Affairs.

The work was done in a mobile dental unit that was driven up from Tacoma.

In previous years, Haws said the free dental work was done at his Silverdale office instead of at the fairgrounds. At a previous stand down, Haws said a team of two dentists and three hygienists helped 30 veterans over a span of four hours.

Haws is a veteran himself and served in the Air Force as a dentist with the rank of captain from 1999-2003 at Travis Air Force Base and Beale Air Force Base.

“I just really enjoyed my time in the military preparing pilots for service and making sure they were ready to serve without any complications from dental treatments,” Haws said.

In addition to free dental work, veterans were also offered several services at the stand down including access to food, clothing and social services.