Pop-up clinics offer free dental and medical services

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the date of the free clinic at Dr. David Roach's Green Hills office. The event has already passed.

With an estimated 100 million Americans not going to the dentist because they can't afford it, I'm happy to report on some popup dental clinics that are offering free services this month. 

Some of these clinics offer an array of medical services in addition to the dental options, and most are are set up where patients can just show up and be treated on a first-come, first-served basis.

The organizers of these programs, which are staffed by volunteers, are committed to serving as many people as they can with basic dental services. You might have to stand in line, but the services are free. 

3-day medical mission

There is a three-day Community Health Care/Medical Mission Program, with free medical and dental services, Sept. 13-15 at Church of the Messiah, 88 Lafayette St., across from Cameron School in downtown Nashville. 

Hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. These annual days of free medical services — which will include the Brentwood Mobile Dental Units set up to perform X-rays, cleanings, extractions, fillings and more — have taken place every fall for more than a dozen years. Sponsored by Generation Changers, Brentwood Baptist and Church of the Messiah, the clinic will offer vision screenings, readers, flu shots, HIV testing and counseling.

"We expect to serve over 400 people this year," said Dr. Michael Vaughan, one of the organizers. "People come to the clinic in pain and get to see a doctor and tell their story and receive a filling or extraction to get them out of pain.

"Others come saying they don’t smile because of a black tooth. In the dental clinic we can restore their front teeth and when they see themselves in the mirror, the look on their face is priceless and they can smile again." 

All services are offered at no charge. 

Meharry Day

Meharry Medical College will host “Meharry Day – Health, Healing and Worship” in partnership with Mt. Zion Baptist Church on Sunday, Sept. 16. Meharry physicians, dentists and students will provide free medical and dental services at Mt. Zion locations at 2261 Murfreesboro Road, beginning at 7 a.m., and at 7594 Old Hickory Blvd., beginning at 8:15 a.m. End times have not been determined. Services at both locations include blood pressure readings, testing of glucose levels and oral screenings for adults and children. Meharry Day services are free and open to the public, and health screenings will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Details: Contact Jessica Powell at jpowell@mmc.edu or 412-607-6574.

Free dentistry day 

Village Crest Family Dental is having a free dental day Sept. 21, where residents in Smyrna and the surrounding area can receive a free cleaning or extraction.

Dentistry Day hours are 7 a.m.-3 p.m. at the dental office at 315 Sam Ridley Parkway West in Smyrna. Patients will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The dental office hopes to serve more than 100 patients.

Details: 615-220-3440.

Medical Mission at Home

Saint Thomas Health will host a free health care clinic — Medical Mission at Home — at Municipal Auditorium from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 22.

The comprehensive clinic, which will provide free medical care including pharmacy services, dental services, mammograms, vision services, foot and wound care, lab and imaging services, and behavioral medicine, is being offered through partnerships with more than 30 community organizations.

The dental services will include cleanings, fillings and extractions, provided by more than 120 volunteers through the Hope Smiles dental outreach program. Hope Smiles director and founder Dr. Phillip Kemp said he and his team hope to serve 250-300 people.

Flu vaccines and Hepatitis A vaccines will also be available. More than 600 volunteers from Saint Thomas Health, including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, chaplains, senior leaders and other hospital staff, will participate.

The 2017 Nashville Medical Mission at Home provided health care services to 776 patients, including more than 500 medical exams,190 dental exams, including more than 300 extractions, the filling of more than 300 prescriptions, flu vaccinations to 435 patients, and vision exams for 375 patients, including prescription glasses made on-site.

Since 2008, Saint Thomas Health has hosted more than 30 Medical Missions at Home in multiple locations throughout Middle Tennessee, including over 20,000 patient encounters.

“Many individuals in Nashville and the surrounding communities who are uninsured or under-insured struggle to find access to affordable health care, and Saint Thomas Health is honored to provide free health services as a direct response to this community need,” said Tim Adams, Saint Thomas Health president and chief executive officer. 

St. Thomas officials emphasized that the clinic is free and designed for anyone in need. People can just show up and services are on a first come, first served basis, they said.   

This kind of generous outreach is wonderful. I hope you will help me spread the word about these wonderful free and desperately needed medical and dental services.  

Other ongoing sources of affordable dental work

One of the most active providers of dental care to the elderly, uninsured and working poor is the Interfaith Dental Clinic, which has clinics in Nashville and Murfreesboro.

The two clinics last year served 2,837 patients, which translates into more than $6.1 million in services. All patients pay on a sliding fee scale, with most paying 20 percent of market cost. The clinic's model is to ask patients to pay what they can, to use as many clinical volunteers as possible to provide the care (4,727 volunteer hours last year) and to raise the remaining costs through fundraisers and other initiatives, such as the Do the Bright Thing — Whiten Your Teeth for Charity promotion.

Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Centers in Nashville and Clarksville offer a full range of affordable dental care services, including dental exams and cleanings, teeth whitening, oral cancer screenings, dentures, partials, fillings, crowns, tooth extractions, root canal and implants. Fees are on a sliding income scale. http://mwchc.org/services/

The Tennessee State University Dental Hygiene Clinic. The student clinic offers free dental screenings and basic cleanings for children and adults for $25. Details: 615-963-5791 

Meharry Medical College's School of Dentistry also has a student clinic, which offers services such as fillings, dentures, crowns and bridges at about one-third of private practice rates. Meharry also has a free student-run Saltwagon Clinic in East Nashville that offers dental services on some Thursday evenings. Details on both clinics: 615-327-6900.

Neighborhood Health, which has been serving Nashville and Middle Tennessee for 40 years, offers affordable medical and dental services for children and adults through a network of 13 nonprofit clinics. Over 30,000 are served each year, including 3,897 who were provided dental care in 2017.

Three clinics have comprehensive dental services including exams, X-rays, cleanings, extractions, fillings, dentures and partials. Fees are based on a sliding fee scale. For appointments and information, call 615-227-3000 or go to www.neighborhoodhealthtn.org.

Reach Ms. Cheap at 615-259-8282 or mscheap@tennessean.com. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/mscheap, and at Tennessean.com/mscheap, and on Twitter @Ms_Cheap. 

Need for dental services

• 17 percent of the population is uninsured, which equals 113,619 uninsured and 20 percent of the total population in poverty. It is estimated that one in five residents living in poverty suffers from dental disease. (Nationally, 65.4 percent of those living below the federal poverty level suffer from periodontal disease -- which would be around 87,000 alone just in Davidson County.)
• Tennessee ranks 49th in the nation for the level of overall oral health.
• In Tennessee, 25 percent of adults ages 18-64 have lost six or more teeth due to dental disease — twice the national average.
• 40 percent of individuals in poverty have at least one untreated cavity, compared to only 16 percent of the non-poor.

Source: Interfaith Dental