A New Charlotte Dental Clinic Is Making Care Easier to Access

Project 658 officially opened a new community dental clinic Tuesday, Aug. 18, adding dental services to its existing Hope Community Clinic of East Charlotte.

The expansion is aimed at immigrant and refugee families, including people who are uninsured or face other barriers that can make routine dental care difficult to access.

And there’s already a significant need.

Project 658 CEO Casey Crimmins told WFAE that dental care has become one of the biggest unmet health needs among the families the organization works with.

The size of the existing waiting list shows how much demand exists for dental care within Charlotte’s free and charitable clinic system.

The new clinic expands the services already available through Hope Community Clinic of East Charlotte, an integrated-care clinic at 6900 Farmingdale Drive that serves uninsured and underinsured patients.

The clinic already provides primary care, behavioral and mental health services and other specialty care.

Dental students will help provide care

Project 658 is also partnering with High Point University’s Workman School of Dental Medicine on the new clinic.

Dental students from the university will provide care to patients while completing clinical training, creating additional capacity for the Charlotte clinic while giving students hands-on experience serving patients who may otherwise struggle to access dental services.

The clinic says its approach will extend beyond simply treating a tooth.

Project 658 describes the program as patient-centered, with clinicians taking time to explain treatment options, ease anxiety and connect patients with additional resources and follow-up care when needed.

The addition also gives East Charlotte another resource specifically focused on affordable oral health care at a time when Project 658 says hundreds of people are already waiting for help.