July 29, 2016
Guest Writer
Health Resources
If you’re visiting the D.C. area or a current local resident, it’s always good to know you won’t have to pull teeth to go to a reasonably priced dentist. There are actually many Good Samaritan organizations throughout the city who will provide affordable dental care. Some of these clinics offer on-the-spot care for walk-ins.
In cases where a family is getting by in a low income situations without insurance, it’s difficult to think there would be no options in the event of an emergency. So the necessity of affordable care is often weighed against professionals who will not work for free. For better or worse, the reality is the dental industry is one of the last free market health care sectors still in operation, and has a growing demand as populations expand.
With the growing number of low income situations resulting from higher numbers of unemployment, free clinics are a truly noble public service. Despite the Obamacare legislation, the lack of basic health coverage is still too expensive for many. Dental insurance is usually out of the question.
In any case, you would do well to find the clinic locations in advance, learn about their specific patient policies, and then add them all to your phone or email address book. In this way, you’re ready to go at a moment’s notice. There are a number of reduced fee and charitable dental clinics upon doing a recent search worthy of recommendation. You can find a more exhaustive list here. Some cater to walk-ins, as mentioned, and others are by appointment only. Others are specialized to work with homeless shelters.
The first is Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care located at 3912 Georgia Avenue, NW,
Washington, D.C. 20011. (202)545-8023. Hours: M-S 8:30am – 5pm. They provide a
comprehensive range of services including house calls with mobile dentistry equipment.
Emergency walk-ins are acceptable within the first hour of opening. Depending on the patient’s
financial status, rates might range from standard Medicaid to completely free.
The second resource was Some Medical Clinic located on 60 O Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
20001. (202) 797-8806. Hours: M-F 8:00am – 4:00pm. At Some Medical Clinic, they cater to homeless shelters and those enrolled in drug rehabilitation programs. They’ll accept the first three emergencies that show up at 7:45am. In addition to basic dental care, they will perform root canals, extractions, restorations and even removable prostheses. As for insurance, they will accept the uninsured and most types of medical plans.
There are also other alternatives for dental supplies, like having the ability to order a dental night guard or custom night guard, which may result in fewer dental visits. Even though there’s been an overall consolidation of dental providers in the free market over the last few years, it doesn’t mean there are fewer options. Statistics show that the need is primarily a matter of finance rather than the lack of supply.
Sam Jones is a digital marketing expert, social media and branding consultant and guest blogger for various publications, including Business2Community, Inbound.org and MovingFinder.co. In her free time, Sam is an avid traveler, foodie and lover of all things technology. She’s also a fitness fanatic (in the making). 
