Volunteer clinic serves uninsured patients with dental needs

Bloomington resident Donetta Davis is one of at least 12,000 adults in Monroe and Owen counties without health insurance. She is a patient at Volunteers in Medicine, a local clinic that serves uninsured patients.

The clinic has taken care of her medical needs for the past three years but has lacked the resources to address many of her dental needs.

“They had one dentist, and you had to wait for months and months for something minor,” Davis said.

Davis’ long wait for a dental appointment is now over.

The clinic received a $30,340 grant from the Indiana State Department of Health to expand its dental services. The clinic began its new services on Sept. 29. Now, Davis said, it is much easier to be taken care of and get an appointment.

“I’ve been there three times in the past month,” Davis said. “Having the new services there, it was really quick. I didn’t have to go see another dentist and get referrals.”

Davis had an X-ray, a cleaning and a filling repaired in under a week and a half.

Before the grant, she would have been evaluated by a dentist at the clinic and then issued multiple referrals to other dentists in the area. The clinic wouldn’t have been able to perform hygienic cleaning services for her or any of its 20,000 patients.

Elizabeth Sturgeon, executive director of Volunteers in Medicine, said the grant allowed the organization to purchase a second dental chair and dental equipment necessary for cleanings and tooth extractions.

The new clinic is offering weekly dental assessments and monthly cleanings and procedures, Sturgeon said.

“We’re starting out slowly,” Sturgeon said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to add more over time.”

Tony Kenworthy, a dentist at Volunteers in Medicine, said if patients go for long periods of time without dental services, they can have problems with severe pain and swelling. Often, these problems require removing the tooth to alleviate pain.

Tooth extraction can be prevented by having regular hygienic cleanings, which the clinic now offers its patients.

“We’re starting to address the preventative aspects before dental decay gets into a serious stage,” Kenworthy said.

Volunteers in Medicine also received a grant from the City of Bloomington for a second X-ray machine. The new machine allows dentists take an X-ray of a specific tooth instead of having to look at one tooth from a panoramic X-ray.

The new X-rays combined with cleaning and teeth repair services will help address both immediate and long-term dental care needs.

“We’ll be able to establish a better level of oral health within the community,” Kenworthy said.

For Davis, the new services have not only improved her dental care, they have saved her time and made it more convenient for cleaning procedures.

“It’s a heck of a lot less legwork, hassle and red tape,” Davis said. “It’s pretty easy for someone who’s working and has kids. I’m very grateful.”