A dental clinic offered free dental work to people in need earlier Saturday.

Dr. Shahram Yazdani, with the help of Dentistry From The Heart, offered free dental work to people in need on Saturday. (CBC)

The first annual event was hosted by Dr. Shahram Yazdani of Healthy Smiles Dental Clinic and Dentistry From The Heart, a non-profit organization founded 10 years ago to help a growing number of people without dental insurance.

Dozens of people received free fillings, cleanings and extractions at Yazdani's clinic on Saturday. He said he hoped to help 100 people by the end of the day.

Yazdani's brother, also a dentist, helped with the work.

"It's really fun to be able to really help people that perhaps don't have the means to get dental treatment, and not be charging for it," Yazdani said. "It's actually very gratifying."

Woman hadn't been to dentist for 20 years

Mohammad Rahman, a former Afghan interpreter, showed up with five of his seven children. He said it would have cost him $500 to get them treated elsewhere, which he said he couldn't afford.

Brigitte Fournier said she hadn't been to the dentist for about 20 years. (CBC)

"It's a lot of money for me," he said.

Brigitte Fournier was driving by when she saw the clinic, and said she was planning to bring her two-year-old son.

"I'm having a hard time getting him to brush his teeth, so I think this might give him a little bit of motivation," she said.

Fournier, meanwhile, hadn't been to the dentist for about 20 years.

"I think it's really great, especially for the community, to offer that," she said. "I think a lot of people can't afford (it), dentists are quite expensive and some of the treatments are pretty costly, so I think it's a great offer to the community. For sure."