Finding dental care when you have no dental insurance will mean searching for free or reduced-price services for your age group. Dr. Kimberley Harms, DDS, a licensed dentist since 1981, is a consumer advisor for the American Dental Association. Harms said the ADA is concerned about access to dental care for everyone who needs it. "This is America and nobody should go to bed with a toothache anymore," Harms said. "We have the resources to take care of that."
Instructions
Sources of help
1. Contact your state dental association to find out where free or low-cost services are available. The state dental society has lists of who provides care. A list of state dental associations is available on the ADA website.
2. See if your income qualifies for Medicaid, a state program that provides medical benefits to low-income individuals and families.
3. Locate a federally funded health center that provides dental care. The Health Resources and Services Administration has an online search page to locate federally funded health centers. You can call the HRSA information center toll-free at 888-Ask-HRSA.
4. Get services at a dental school. Dental schools often offer reduced-cost clinics where dental students treat patients under the supervision of licensed, experienced dentists. The ADA website has a list of dental schools
5. Check into a nearby clinical trial that you might fit into. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research can help you find trials that recruit people with specific oral, dental, and craniofacial conditions.
6. Learn which dentists in your area participate in the Give Kids a Smile program by calling local dentists or your state dental association. The one program that is nationwide is Give Kids a Smile in the month of February. Dentists treat children for free.
7. Find out if your child's school participates in a school-based dental care program and how extensive are the services it offers. "Our mission is to create a dental home for underserved populations. We do this by coordinating site-based dental clinics," says Allen Hersh, executive vice president for ReachOut America. The program works in about 6,000 schools nationwide and welcomes inquiries from schools or organizations with an interest in children.
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