Receiving Quality Dental Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

There are many barriers to receiving comprehensive, quality, dental care. On top of struggling to obtain dental insurance and/or pay for costly services, parents are often unable to miss work for their child’s appointment. Mobile Care’s Dental Program uses mobile clinics to reach, treat, and provide follow-up care to children who cannot easily access dental services.

These days, everyday struggles have become much more challenging. Dental offices were among the first medical facilities to close during the pandemic because the tools used by dentists pose such a high safety risk for staff disease contraction. The three months of closure was crippling for local dentists, and virtually all practices had to add expensive safety upgrades to their clinics. As profit margins at for-profit dental offices become tight, and because Illinois ranks 46th of the 50 States in Medicaid reimbursement rates, dentists are able to accept fewer Medicaid or uninsured patients. As a result, at a time when a greater volume of patients need care, there are fewer options. This presents yet another barrier to families who already have difficulties getting dental care for their children. Now that our Dental Van is back on the road, Mobile Care Chicago is committed to easing the burden of this problem by providing dental care for children at no cost to families.

With our comprehensive mobile clinics, we’re able to perform X-rays, complex restorative procedures, educate on oral health, and provide routine cleanings. Working in conjunction with over 80 schools and Head Start Groups, the program provides services to over 5,000 children. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, our mobile clinics were recently renovated with safety upgrades that far exceed national and industry guidelines for clinic safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We are excited to be back out there helping our Chicagoland area communities! We’ve been connecting with food pantries, local organizations, and churches to make sure children have access to dental care even with remote learning in place for Fall 2020. Feel free to contact us at dentalvan@mobilecarefoundation.org if you are interested in having our mobile clinic on site. Or, if you’d like to make an appointment for your child, check out our schedule or call 312-543-5693.