From the #deltadentalARFoundation: Since Community Clinic NWA launched two dental offices in Benton and Washington counties almost 30 years ago, its staff has noted a welcome improvement: Oral hygiene is getting better with each generation of patients.

That’s a noteworthy development because most patients are low-income and underinsured; many don’t speak English as their first language. Oral health frequently takes a back seat to concerns like food, housing and employment. More often than not, obtaining dental care means emergency tooth extractions provided by charitable clinics rather than twice-annual teeth cleanings and discussions with a dentist about proper brushing and flossing. 

The Community Clinic dental offices in Springdale and Rogers have successfully changed that situation.

“We provide access to affordable dental care,” said Judd Semingson, CEO. 

He explained that the clinics are not free but operate closer to traditional dental practices.

They perform almost all preventive and restorative dental services and bill Medicaid and private insurance as available. Patients who cannot afford their regular co-insurance or deductible or have no insurance, are able to apply for the sliding scale discount, which is based on their income and household size. 

This approach makes all the difference.

The clinics can count on a regular income stream to help fund general operating and program expenses. Donations and grants, including a 2023 #communitygrant from the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation, provide the rest. 

Patients—knowing they will only receive bills they can pay—are motivated to return year after year for dental care. 

Some started coming as children, according to Nadine Carfagno, Dental Operations Director. Now grown, with families of their own, they bring the second and even third generations of patients. This continuity has contributed to improved oral hygiene and oral health among the younger family members, who develop fewer cavities than their parents did.

In other words, the dental clinics have become dental homes for many Northwest Arkansas residents. 

We applaud this solution of increasing access to affordable dental care. What does your organization do to bring more healthy smiles to Arkansans? Can we help with funding?  

Find out more here.

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