Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.

Dr. Dale Hallberg is awarded as 2022's Oral Health Hero by colleagues and friends Thursday morning at the Flagstaff Poore Clinic's Dental Division for his volunteer work with low-income patients.

Dr. Dale Hallberg is awarded as 2022's Oral Health Hero by colleagues and friends Maureen Pisano, Jenny Zamora-Garcia AKA the Tooth Fairy, and Sandi Perez Thursday morning at the Flagstaff Poore Clinic's Dental Division for his volunteer work with low-income patients.

Dr. Dale Hallberg, DDS, was named the Northern Arizona Oral Health Coalition’s 2022 Oral Health Hero for his work in providing access to dental care. 

In addition to owning and operating Hallberg Family Dentistry with his wife Terri, Hallberg is also a co-dental director and volunteer dentist for the Sid Davis DDS Memorial Dental Clinic, the dental division of the Poore Medical Clinic (he also serves as board president for Poore Clinic).

Working with the Poore Clinic has been a way to increase the range of people receiving dental care in Flagstaff, Hallberg said. The Davis Memorial clinic now has 13 volunteers providing dental care.

“We've always been looking for a way of providing care for people that really needed it financially and that was always hard to do in a private practice,” he said.

His nomination mentioned his involvement in several dental programs, including Give Kids a Smile, Arizona Mission of Mercy, the Global Denture Alliance, Smiles for Domestic Women, the Back to School Resource Fair and the Veteran Stand Down.

“Every dental office provides free and reduced payment treatment to select people,” Hallberg said after explaining some of his volunteer work. “I think we all try to help out where we can, when we can. …I think as a profession, we can all be included in trying to help out where we can.”

Hallberg has been practicing dentistry in Flagstaff since he moved here in 1987. His two sons have recently joined his dental practice and are volunteers at the Davis Memorial Clinic. He said he had always wanted to be a dentist.

“I liked being able to have my own practice, caring for people,” Hallberg said. “I wanted to be in the health services. Personal interaction with everybody involved and wanting to build things and do things with my hands so that fit right in and luckily it all panned out."

He was nominated by last year's Oral Health Hero winner, Jenny Zamora- Garcia.

The two met over 30 years ago on the Dental Committee for American Cancer Society’s over the line softball fundraiser. They went on to work together on several public health events, one time driving to Cottonwood for the school-based cavity-free sealant program.

“What Dr. Hallberg has done to give back to the community regarding oral health is voluminous,” Zamora-Garcia said. “...Anytime I needed a dentist to volunteer at one of my dental committee events, Dr. Hallberg was always the first to volunteer.”

Maureen Pisano, the director of dental services at the memorial clinic, has known Hallberg for 23 years. She said she was “honored” to work with him and the clinic’s volunteer dentists, as “they’re absolutely super."

The Northern Arizona Oral Health Coalition’s mission is to “support the value and importance of good oral health for everybody,” volunteer co-chair Sandi Perez said.

“Our coalition really felt that it was important to recognize the community members that go above and beyond their jobs to really make a difference in the community,” she said.

“I’m obviously very honored and very humbled by the award,” Hallberg said. “I’m just a small cog in this whole wheel. ...There are so many good people out there putting in a lot of valuable time. I’m humbled more than anything–this award could go to so many people and Jenny certainly was a hard act to follow.”

Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Vasto, an “independent contractor” and self-described “experienced hiker,” was visiting Phoenix on business when he decided that he would attempt to summit Humphrey’s Peak in Flagstaff.

A Flagstaff man was sentenced to 11 years in prison Thursday for shooting his friend and attempting to make his death look like a suicide in 2020.

Dr. David Yang placed his own dental implant last week, using his practice’s latest piece of technology, the Yomi Robotic System.

In its March 8 meeting, Flagstaff Unified School District's board moved to approve the appointment of Libby Miller to the full-time position a…

As the West grapples with unprecedented megadrought, the Arizona Legislature is scrambling to solve a deepening water crisis.

It’s been almost a century since America was swept by reefer madness, the craze of anti-marijuana rhetoric that connected “pot smokers” to vio…

The Viola Awards is back for its 14th year and with it a number of new additions.

Professors and students at NAU share their perspectives on how the university has handled the pandemic from the beginning to now.

Kyle Nitschke -- an active member of the Coconino Democratic Party, a state committee member with the Arizona Democratic Party and co-chair fo…

Dr. Dale Hallberg is awarded as 2022's Oral Health Hero by colleagues and friends Thursday morning at the Flagstaff Poore Clinic's Dental Division for his volunteer work with low-income patients.

Dr. Dale Hallberg is awarded as 2022's Oral Health Hero by colleagues and friends Maureen Pisano, Jenny Zamora-Garcia AKA the Tooth Fairy, and Sandi Perez Thursday morning at the Flagstaff Poore Clinic's Dental Division for his volunteer work with low-income patients.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.