My Community Dental Centers (MCDC) is urging people with emergency dental needs to avoid emergency rooms. Following the Executive Order by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to stop non-essential medical and dental procedures, a majority of dental offices throughout Michigan closed their doors. MCDC, a nonprofit organization remains open at select centers across the State of Michigan to serve patients with emergency dental needs.
Among the MCDC offices that have remained open is the Kentwood office located at 4700 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Suite 200. The office is open from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Thursday and is closed on Friday.
“Our staff members are the true heroes. On a daily basis we are seeing patients with emergency dental needs and proud we can continue to meet the needs of our community,” shared Dr. Deborah Brown, CEO of MCDC. “We recently saw a patient in West Michigan, who was scheduled for radiation to fight an aggressive cancer. Without receiving urgent dental care, this patient would have been unable to receive treatment. That is why we remain open, to serve the community when they need us most.”
In response to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, the American Dental Association, and MDHHS, starting Tuesday, March 17, MCDC limited services to emergency/urgent dental care only. All preventive and routine restorative care are being postponed and rescheduled.
“We are working to do our part and will remain open at select centers to concentrate on emergency/urgent dental care. Our goal is to alleviate the burden that dental emergencies would place on emergency departments and provide a much-needed resource for dental care,” stated Brown.
The organization is taking additional precautions to protect our patients and staff. In addition to continuing well-established infection control procedures, each center will continue screening all patients and except for minors is no longer allowing visitors to accompany patients. Any patients with fever/respiratory symptoms or possible COVID-19 exposure are being asked to reschedule appointments by calling the center.
“Our priority has been and will continue to be in the best interest and health of our patients and staff. We will continue to serve the communities emergency and urgent dental needs, while following recommendations provided by local and state and federal public health officials and dental industry leaders,” shared Brown.
Individuals experiencing swelling, bleeding or extreme pain, are encouraged to call 1-877-313-6232, to be scheduled at one of our 11 locations that remain open throughout Michigan. The centers provide dental services to persons enrolled in Medicaid, Healthy Kids Dental, Healthy Michigan Plan, low-income uninsured as well as those with private insurance seeking a dental home. MCDC also offers My Dental Plan (MyDP) for those without dental insurance, which provides reduced fees based on household income. An initial exam with x-rays will be $39 for new patients.
My Community Dental Centers operates in partnership with local health departments throughout Michigan. The organization routinely under normal operations offers comprehensive dental services including oral exam/cleanings, fillings, tooth removal, partials, dentures, and other dental procedures to residents. For more information on MCDC services or to schedule an appointment, please visit MyDental.org.
