Summit Community Care Clinic Offers Low-Cost Dental Care for Seniors Living on Low Income

Dec 4, 2023

Since 2017, Summit Community Care Clinic has been providing free or low-cost dental care to seniors living on low-income through funding from the Colorado Dental Health Care Program for Low-Income Seniors. The state program allocates close to $125,000 to the Care Clinic annually for reimbursement of care provided, allowing the Care Clinic to treat qualified patients for zero to little cost.

Seniors who meet income and insurance eligibility requirements can access a wide range of services, including oral exams, treatment planning, emergency treatment, preventative care, X-Rays, partial and full dentures, and removal of permanent teeth, fillings, and periodontal treatments.

“Regular dental hygiene visits contribute significantly to maintaining proper oral health and play a crucial role in early systemic health issue identification, such as oral cancer. Aging often involves taking more medications, which can lead to dry mouth and contribute to oral diseases,” said Dr. Kelvin Ha, dentist at Summit Community Care Clinic. “Prioritizing good oral health becomes paramount for enhancing and sustaining the quality of life, ensuring comfortable eating, speaking, and social interactions—all of which play pivotal roles in our mental health as we age.”

The Care Clinic is one of only two dental providers in Summit County that accept the Senior Dental Program. Additionally, the Care Clinic's ancillary offices in Leadville (223 Harrison Avenue) and Fairplay (548 Front Street) are the exclusive Senior Dental Program providers in those areas.

While preventative care is completely covered by this program, treatment such as fillings and extractions require a co-pay, due at time of service.

To qualify for this program, patients must:

Be 60 years of age or older,
Have an income at or below 250% of the most recently published federal poverty level (FPL)
Not be eligible for dental services under Medicaid or Medicare
Not have private dental insurance.

To schedule an appointment or find out more information about this program, please call 970-668-4055. Patients will be asked to complete a Care Card application prior to their appointment to determine their eligibility.