Next to medical care, dental care is the next most expensive health service you and your family need. When you have recently been fired or laid off from your job, and your children need dental services, you may be wondering what you can do next. Fortunately, many communities have established community health centers with both doctors and at least one dentist on staff. Here is how these services are provided at a more affordable cost.

Dentists Donate Time to Charity

In some clinics, the resident dentist donates his/her time to charity. This allows the clinics to offer free dental services and discounted restorative services. You will have to ask your community health center if the dentist charges for services or donates his/her time.

Community Centers That Work on a Sliding Scale

Some community centers work on a sliding pay scale. Low income families are charged little, based on their income and ability to pay. No-income families receive free services because they do not have working adults in the home. If you work a low paying job to a mid-income paying job, you can still utilize the community health center, but your payment for services rises with your income. Those in the greatest need benefit the most.

Completely Free Services

In major metropolitan areas where there is a high homeless population, there are community centers that provide absolutely free services to anyone that needs them. In doing so, these centers make sure that homeless patients and impoverished patients are able to get the care and services they need without having to worry about money or the involvement of social workers. These clinics are supported by charitable community funding, grants, and government aid.

Locating a Clinic That Has a Dentist

If a community clinic does not advertise which services are available, you can call the clinics. Most of them utilize a digital answering service that asks you if you want to be routed through the medical or the dental office. Then you know for sure what they provide.

If you do not have a working phone, walk into your county's Health and Human Services building, and request referrals to a community health center and/or dental clinic. The receptionists can help you locate the nearest providers. The receptionists can also help you schedule appointments by calling the clinics for you, or by providing you with a free public phone to make the calls yourself. Contact a clinic, like Peninsula Community Health Services- Medical (Cottonwood), for more help.

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