A full moon was rising as 170 guests gathered at Dientes Community Dental Care’s main clinic on October 5 to mark 25 years of providing healthy smiles to the low income community in Santa Cruz County. The event celebrated Dientes’ roots and honored one of the founders Dr. Catherine Webb with a dental chair in her name.
Dientes Executive Director Laura Marcus shared a five-year vision for a new Live Oak medical-dental clinic in partnership with Santa Cruz Community Health Centers as part of the Oral Health Access Strategic Plan. State Senator Bill Monning was on hand to mark the momentous occasion.
Founded in 1992 by Dr. Catherine Webb and Carolyn O’Donnell Shimek, among others, Dientes started with volunteer dentists. Many hands had a part of helping Dientes get off the ground back then including Dr. Marc Grossman, Jane Doyle, Dr. Ira Lubell, Rama Khalsa, Susan Stuart, Dr. Jim Jacobson, Edie Nelson, Sr. Julie Hyer and Dr. Jay Balzer.
- Dientes opened its first clinic on the Westside’s Mission Street in 1996. After purchasing and renovating its main Commercial Way clinic, they consolidated operations and reached 10,000 visits for 3,700 patients in 2004.
- Ten years later, Dientes added a 7-chair pediatric wing.
- In 2015, they opened a 4-chair clinic as part of the Watsonville Health & Dental Center.
- 2016 brought the opening of a 1-chair clinic at the Homeless Services Center and the expansion of the Outreach Program to 35 locations with the addition of care at 12 Head Start sites.
- They also added endodontic and oral surgery specialty care and convened a steering committee to develop and launch the Oral Health Access Strategic Plan.
- In 2017, Dientes provided care for 10,600 patients through more than 35,000 visits and opened a 2-chair clinic in Beach Flats.
“A quarter of a century later with a staff of 60, meeting the oral health needs of our underserved neighbors is still core to our mission,” explains Dientes Board Chair Steve Moody. “We are grateful for all the support from the community that has helped us come so far and we continue to look for new opportunities to expand access to care.”
“I am proud of Dientes and the impact we have on the thousands in our community that need quality, comprehensive care,” commented Marcus. “I am also proud of the Oral Health Access Santa Cruz County steering committee, which will have a collective impact on tens of thousands low income kids, adults and seniors in our community. Moreover, I am excited about our shared vision and partnership with Santa Cruz Community Health Centers through which we can serve another 7,000 patients.”