Donated Dental Services
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Avoid costly dental procedures by taking good daily care of your teeth and gums. Check out Dental Care Every Day: A Caregiver's Guide published by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. A number of additional booklets concerning oral care of people with disabilities are also available and linked at the bottom of this guide.
New Mouth was created to keep the public educated about current dental care practices, oral health basics, and how to find the best treatment possible. Their team of medical writers and dentists provide the most up-to-date dental information in every vertical, including general, pediatric, restorative, cosmetic, and orthodontics. Find out how to protect your oral health if you have developmental disabilities, types of physical disability or diabetes.
The following link is for Emergency Dental Care Services throughout the United States. These are not free services and there are 24 hour, Saturday or Sunday only, and walk in services. If you have a movement disorder or other disability that may need accommodation in dentistry, ask if the dentist is familiar working with people with disabiiities.
Many low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities struggle to find oral health care services, because very few dentists accept insurance programs. Access to dental care can be improved by increasing reimbursement rates for providers.
Important Note: The following resources offer low cost and sometimes free Dental Services for people with disabilities. Be certain to clarify how much you will be expected to pay prior to receiving services from the providers listed.
Providers by State:
CA / CO / IL / KS / LA / MI / NC / NY / PA / RI / WI
(Official USPS State Abbreviations)
National
Search Free Dental or Medical Clinics in your browser search engine and you will get a return of free and very low cost medical and dental clinics near your location. Universities and dental schools offer dental services by dental students. Churches provide community dental clinics. Or call your local dentist to see if he provides a low cost dental service for people with disabilities.
Aspen Dental: Healthy Mouth Program Since 2014, nearly 11,500 patients have received free dental care through the HMM, that has spanned more than 34 states and resulted in nearly $6.3 million dollars in free dental care and oral health education to people in need thanks to the generosity of dentists and team members from Aspen Dental practices across the U.S. Many of those patients were veterans, a patient population that resonated deeply with the Aspen Dental volunteers because veterans do not receive dental care benefits through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs unless they are 100% disabled or have a service-related injury to their mouths. Check this website to see where the Mouth Mobile is scheduled to visit next.
Dental Lifeline Network The Donated Dental Services (DDS) program provides free, comprehensive dental treatment to our country’s most vulnerable people with disabilities or who are elderly or medically fragile. These are people who cannot afford necessary treatment and cannot get public aid. The program operates through a volunteer network of more than 15,000 dentists and 3,700 dental labs across the United States. Since its inception in 1985, our DDS program has surpassed $330 million in donated dental therapies, transforming the lives of 117,000 people. To find the program in your state, visit this website.
Free Dental Care is a website with a database of free or low cost dental care providers across the United States. Select your state and then when you get to your state, you can enter the city nearest you, or scroll down and select from the list. Scroll down to find the list of providers displayed. Find and contact the provider that will best fit your needs and level of assistance for which you will be eligible. Make sure the provider can assist you for your dental and low cost needs.
Dental Charities, is a listing of charitable dental services from 1-8000 dentist. Via DDS people with disabilities on a fixed income are given access to free comprehensive dental treatment. To locate the program in your state, visit the Foundation's DDS information page here.
State Listings
California
University of the Pacific School of Dentistry offers a Special Needs Program that provides dental care for patients with a wide variety of special needs including individuals with significant medical problems, developmental disabilities, psychiatric disorders, people who are highly anxious about dental care, and elderly individuals. Dental services can be provided in an individual's home or at one of more than 220 dental offices located throughout California. Flexible payment options are available. For more information, call (415) 929-6675.
Colorado
Metro Denver Dental Society, Low-income Dental Care Referral List provides the Dental Lifeline Network information for dental providers that volunteer their services for people with disabilities (303) 534-3931 (metro) (303) 534-3863 (non-metro) , the Dental HouseCalls Program (303) 534-5360 and the Dental Rescue Mission(303) 294-0157. For more information, visit this website. Click on "Persons with Disabilities" in the list.
Illinois
Illinois Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped, via the Donated Dental Services program, provides people with disabilities and the elderly free or very low cost dental services. Qualified applicants must be permanently disabled, chronically ill, or elderly. Each person’s condition must be severe enough to prohibit or significantly limit gainful employment. In addition, they can neither afford dental care nor receive it through other programs. They must need extensive treatment, not just a cleaning and check-up. To find a provider in the Chicago area, call (847) 847.498.0385 or 847.498.0394 (fax), outside of the Chicago area, call 309.691.5938 or 309.999.4503 (fax) or send e-mail to Lori Williamson at lwilliamson@DentalLifeline.orgDental HouseCalls - Dental Lifeline Network-Illinois received an award in 2011 for their outstanding work addressing the unique oral health needs of people who are elderly or have disabilities and are homebound, in nursing homes or in care centers. Program services are provided at no cost to the patient and 70 percent of treatment costs are donated by participating dentists. For information on obtaining help from Dental HouseCalls who will coordinate with an Chicago area dentist, please contact Melissa Bosworth at 720.287.6184.
Kansas
Kansas Donated Dental Services and the Kansas Dental Association provide free, comprehensive care for people who are permanently disabled, elderly, or medically compromised who are unable to afford dental care. Cayla Lloyd, determines eligibility of applicants, matches patients with dentists, monitors each person’s progress, and coordinates laboratory services. For more information, call 785-273-1900 or 888-870-2066 (toll free) or apply online.Louisiana
Donated Dental Services (DDS) - A Program of Dental Lifeline Network, Louisiana Louisiana participates in the Donated Dental Services (DDS) program as a collaborative, direct way that the dental profession reaches out to the elderly and individuals with special needs. If you would like to volunteer for the program, go to Dental Lifeline Network or call the Louisiana DDS coordinator at 800-946-6016 or 225-926-8062. Patients interested in applying for the program should also call 800-946-6016 or 225-926-8062.Michigan
Community Dental Programs booklet contains listings of community programs that provide dental services to individuals with special considerations from the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council. These resources are from the Michigan Dental Association's website, www.smilemichigan.com. These programs offer services to seniors, low-income individuals, patients on Medicaid, persons with disabilities, individuals with no dental insurance, children, individuals who are in nursing homes or are homebound, and others in need of dental care they could not otherwise afford. To find out which programs are in your area, please refer to your county in the table of contents. If you are unable to find a program under your county, please refer to the "Statewide" listing or contact your local county health department for information on resources available to you. These programs are subject to change so be sure to contact the program for more information and to see if you are eligible.New York
Donated Dental Services New York - Call the DDS coordinator listed below to see if you qualify or if there is a dentist in your area of New York. Madeline Lebron, DDS Coordinator, 212.598.9000, 866.408.1323 (fax).Contact your local Center for Independent Living - and ask about free dental services in your area of NY.
North Carolina
North Carolina Safety Net Dental Clinics are non-profit dental facilities where low income families or individuals can receive very low cost dental care. It should be noted however that many of these dentists are not trained to work specifically with people with disabilities.
Pennsylvania
Accessible Dental Services, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides quality dental care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They use a combination of facilities-based services, along with a mobile unit, to create a superior dental experience for the patient. For more information contact Karen Noah, RN, Director of Operations, 163 Thorn Hill Road, Warrendale, PA 15086, (412) 820-1015 ext. 633, Fax (724) 772-9642 or visit the website for a contact request form.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped offers the Donated Dental Services Program to qualifying individuals with disabilities. There is generally no charge for services. For more information, call (401) 728-9448.Joseph Samuels Dental Center located on the Rhode Island Hospital campus in Providence, Rhode Island concentrates on treating children and adults with special needs. For more information, call the hospital at (401) 444-4000.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped through the Donated Dental Service (DDS) program offers free comprehensive dental care services to people of all ages with a serious disability, advanced age, or medical condition that do not have enough income to pay for dental care. There is no cost to qualifying individuals, however if you can pay for part of the care, you may be encouraged to do so. For an application or more information on the program, call Milwaukee (414) 276-0370. (888) 338-6852.(If you have used the Donated Dental Service, we would be interested in passing on your experience to others who are interested in this service, please send us your, Review a Resource.)
Department of Health Services, State of Wisconsin, Consumer Guide to Health Care, Free or Reduced-Fee Dental Services offers a list of free or reduced-fee dental programs or clinics in the state of Wisconsin.
Family Dental Center offers free dentistry and will treat people with disabilities. Those patients who need assistance transferring to the dentist chair must bring their own assistant or caregiver. The Family Dental Center is located at 3500 W. Lisbon Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53208, or phone: (414) 342-0378. The Program Service Area is the City of Milwaukee, Central City and the West Side.
Gardetto Family Community Dental Clinic for Adults with cognitive and physical disabilities opens at St. Ann Centre for Intergenerational Care - Bucyrus Campus at 2450 W. North Avenue, Milwaukee, WIsconsin. For people with Parkinson's, or Cerebral Palsy getting dental care requires some form of sedation or assistance to hold his or her head steady. This clinic is funded through the Gardetto Family, WDHS, Delta Dental and Ziemann Foundation. For more information call (414) 210-2440
Marquette University School of Dentistry, Advanced Care assesses treatment when you visit for an exam. Located at 1801 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwakee, Wisconsin. Write for more information to P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881, or call (414) 288-7250 (English), ext. 5, (414) 288-1520 (Spanish).
Dr. Steven R. Schnoll, DDS accepts patients with special needs in the Milwaukee area at 2669 N. Swan Blvd., Milwaukee, WI 53226-1800. For more information, call (414) 258-2216.
Strupp Family Dentistry Dr. Tobin J. Strupp, 14335 W. Capitol Dr., Brookfield, WI 53005, accepts patients with special needs in the Milwaukee area. For more information, call 262-783-3311
South Side Guadalupe Dental Clinic, 1112 S. 3rd Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204, (414) 643-8787.
Wisconsin Dental Association as a public service, the WDA periodically tracks clinics throughout the state that provide dental services to low-income, uninsured individuals. Click the following link below for the most recent listing of these free or reduced fee dental clinics .
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