By GvilleTX Newsroom
Eligible Texoma veterans can receive a cleaning, filling or extraction without paying at Sherman’s annual Keep Veterans Smiling event, according to the organizer. The practice’s event page schedules the program for the third Tuesday in September, with one free procedure available to each patient.
The foundation’s eligibility guidance says the treatment day serves Texoma residents who served honorably in a U.S. military branch.
According to the organizer’s patient instructions, treatment starts at 8 a.m., and patients are seen in arrival order. No appointment is necessary, but patients must sign in by 3 p.m.
Dr. Sam’s Premier Dentistry hosts the event at 1005 E. Sara Swamy in Sherman, Texas, according to the practice’s listing.
Access to dental treatment through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs depends on rules that differ from those governing most other VA medical benefits, the department explains in its 2025 benefits guide. Some eligibility categories allow ongoing dental care; others limit the treatment available or impose deadlines.
VA’s dental eligibility guidance identifies former prisoners of war and veterans with compensable service-connected dental conditions among the groups eligible for any needed dental care.
Nationally, about a quarter of veterans enrolled in VA health care were eligible for dental benefits, the department reported in a February 2026 announcement. That national enrollment figure does not establish how many Texoma veterans lack comprehensive dental coverage.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, February 2026: https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-moves-to-improve-dental-care-access-for-eligible-veterans/
The claim that nearly 12,000 Texoma veterans lack comprehensive VA dental benefits could not be independently verified. A December 2020 needs assessment hosted by the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health describes approximately that many veterans living in Fannin and Grayson counties in 2018. It identifies a total veteran population, not a count of veterans without dental coverage.
According to the foundation’s account of its founding, Dr. Sam Nechamkin established Keep Veterans Smiling in 2016 to support free and reduced-cost dental treatment for Texoma veterans.
Source: Keep Veterans Smiling foundation: https://keepveteranssmiling.org/
The foundation also selects veterans to receive more extensive care at no charge through a separate application process, according to its program information. It accepts applications throughout the year, with a deadline on the last business day of October.
The application states that veterans must pay for additional services they request beyond their approved treatment.
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