Free Clinic of Central Virginia offering dental services in Lynchburg this month
Lynchburg News and Advance
Saturday, July 18, 2009Summer typically brings a long waiting list for dental work at the Free Clinic of Central Virginia, which relies on dental students from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry to provide the bulk of its dental services. When school lets out, the clinic is forced to reduce its offerings, causing a backlog of patients. This year, the Free Clinic aims to reduce the dental crunch by offering two new clinics in July: an endodontics clinic and a “super clinic” providing oral surgery and basic services.
The Free Clinic, located in downtown Lynchburg, is a nonprofit that serves as a primary safety net for the area’s growing tide of uninsured and underinsured. The expansion of dental programming was made possible by grants from the Virginia Health Care Foundation and the Greater Lynchburg Community Trust.
The funding could not come at a better time, said executive director Bob Barlow.
In recent months, the Free Clinic has experienced an influx of patients as the recession leaves more people without jobs and health insurance. Demand for dental services has been especially high, partly due to the lack of facilities offering low-cost dental services for the uninsured, Barlow said.
People also tend to be more proactive in seeking medical services rather than dental help, even when the dental problem causes intense pain.
“If you have a missing tooth, you live with that missing tooth if you’re poor. We have people who live in acute pain day-to-day from toothaches (who) don’t come in,” he said.
The endodontic clinic, on July 22-24 and July 29-31, is funded by a $22,500 grant from the Virginia Health Care Foundation. Senior students from the VCU School of Dentistry will perform root canals, impressions and dental crown work under the supervision of local volunteer dentists.
The cost is $10 per visit for up to three visits. In private practice, root canals and crowns can cost well over $1,000. The clinic already is filled, but plans are under way to repeat the service every three to four months, Barlow said.
The “super clinic” on July 25-26, funded by $10,000 from the Greater Lynchburg Community Trust, is designed to reduce the Free Clinic’s summer dental waiting list for regular services. Oral surgeries will be offered for $5 for patients who need wisdom teeth and other difficult teeth removed. Oral surgeries would typically range from $300 to $800.
Spots for the “super clinic” are still available. Prospective patients must apply for eligibility prior to the clinic.
The Free Clinic of Central Virginia is located at 1016 Main St. For more information, call (434) 847-5866.
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