The new site also gives dental students a community site near Louisville to learn alongside a full-time licensed dentist. School of Dentistry Interim Dean Margaret Hill says it is important for these future health care providers to grow their skills in a variety of settings outside the school.   

“As our students travel to other parts of Kentucky, they are maturing into culturally competent dental practitioners,” Hill said. “We build service into the educational experience, not just on a volunteer level but as a part of the curriculum,” Hill said.   

In recent years, the school opened a clinical rotation site in Paducah through a collaboration with West Kentucky Community and Technical College. UofL also sends students to Beverly, Kentucky, located in the eastern part of the state, to learn with a dentist at the Red Bird Dental Clinic.    

Pallavi Patil is an alumna of the School of Dentistry and the full-time dentist at UofL’s Shelbyville dental office. Patil says she looks forward to mentoring students and building relationships with patients.    

“I think it’s important to establish a good rapport and trust between doctor and patient. This helps patients feel comfortable and motivated throughout their comprehensive dental care,” she said.    

The new dental practice offers affordable dental care, and financial assistance may be available to those in need, thanks to the dental school’s Compassionate Care fund. This fund has helped numerous patients of the school pay for treatment. Donors to Compassionate Care include individuals and several organizations, including the Delta Dental of Kentucky Foundation. The foundation also has committed to help pay initial start-up costs at the Shelbyville site, making dental care even more economical for people in the region.    

The is in close proximity to UofL Health – Shelbyville Hospital and other health care providers.   

Hill says in addition to serving new patients, the practice hopes to attract those who currently or previously traveled to the School of Dentistry for care.    

“For some of these folks, it’s very difficult to make a trip to downtown Louisville – so this will save them time and money,” she said. “It’s all about improving access to care.”  

View the from the ribbon cutting event. 

Paige Moore with the School of Dentistry contributed to this article.

Rynkowsky enlisted in the United States Army National Guard in Connecticut at age 17, and served two combat tours of duty in Afghanistan.

He didn’t begin with an interest in health care, having earned an undergraduate degree in political science at the University of Connecticut.   

It wasn’t until later in his military career that Rynkowsky discovered an interest in dental and oral health.

“While I was in Afghanistan, our interpreter would chew on sticks, called ‘miswak.’ Common to the culture, it was his way of brushing his teeth. I thought that was very interesting,” he said.

The father of a fellow soldier was a dentist, and Rynkowsky shadowed him and learned more about the dental profession.  

He made the decision to return to school, completing pre-requisites for dental school at Central Connecticut State University.

Rynkowsky was accepted into UofL’s DMD program in 2015. The United States Army is supporting his dental education through the Health Professions Scholarship Program. Upon graduation, he will serve as a military dentist for at least four years.

And, he wants to do what he can now to meet the oral health needs of veterans in the Louisville community.

“I love when veterans come to the School of Dentistry as patients,” he said. “But, they can’t always afford the treatment needed, and some resort to alternatives. It would be great if people could give to help these individuals.”

The has established a compassionate care fund to help adults in need pay for dental treatment.