Clinics remind public about dental care for the needy

Local providers are reminding the public that the Seacoast region has opportunities to help children in need of dental care.

Access is not the problem, but there are other obstacles facing the Seacoast's community health dental clinics: lack of funding; patient transportation; and a need for outreach and education programs, according to local clinics. But clinics say lack of space or long waits to see a dentist aren't among those obstacles.

At Goodwin Community Health in Somersworth, patients can often be seen on the same day for emergencies via are stand-by service. Otherwise wait times for new patients vary between a week to a month. People without an appointment can come in and wait "on standby" every weekday morning to see a dentist, regardless of the issue.

Dental Director Whitney Goode, DMD, said the clinic does not promise treatment that day, but patients who wait usually get to see a dentist the same day they come in. The standby procedure was created to meet the needs of the community and the rising popularity of walk-in health care services, she said.

Transportation is another obstacle. Families First, based in Portsmouth, has a mobile dental care unit but it is provided to patients in their program by referral only. Patients in need who meet income eligibility guidelines can visit the Exeter St. Vincent de Paul dental clinic on Fridays from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

Getting the word out about the services available is yet another challenge. The Goodwin Community Health Dental Center accepts most insurances and New Hampshire and Maine Medicaid, but also has a sliding scale fee program based on household income for those who are underinsured or uninsured. They see about 2,700 patients each year and outreach has improved through partnering with nearby hospitals. But finding the funding to treat all of those in the community is a constant challenge. Federal grants, small local grants and a few donations keep the Goodwin Dental Center from running a deficit, but if there were more support and donations we receive helps us to keep our services available to those in need, said Goode.

“We live in one of the least fluoridated states in the USA. In fact, we are 43rd in the nation,” said Goode. “We see so many children with rampant dental caries, and abscessed teeth that grew up and live in non-fluoridated communities. These children miss many days of school due to dental disease. It is a protective factor that can drastically change a child's life for the better. Dental disease is preventable. At Goodwin Community Health, we are all about connecting our community, especially those who are most vulnerable, with preventative health care services.”

Source:  http://www.fosters.com/article/20151028/NEWS/151029385

In other dental news: Aurident's 3D dental scanners offer superior quality for both model and impression scanning. The Optimet DS 6000 Scanner uses patented proprietary conoscopic holographic technology to generate highly accurate and consistent scans. The DSi 6000 Impression & Model Scanner overcomes the limitation of other scanners by accurately scanning impressions and models where other scanners have difficulty.