We are one of the largest nonprofit dental practices in Minnesota and we provide a complete array of preventative, restorative, and emergency dental services to a diverse community of individuals, children, families, and the elderly anyone who needs care.
We believe access to quality dental care is the greatest gap in the American healthcare system. There is an overwhelming body of evidence that good oral hygiene and quality dental care are critical to overall health, personal performance and well-being. People who lack access to good dental care suffer disproportionately from the many effects of the unfilled need for care.
Each year, we care for nearly 50,000 patients, who are served by our 200+ staff members, including dentists, hygienists, assistants, and administrative team. Our patients come from all walks of life and income groups many require public assistance, so they do not always have the resources to pay for the care they need.
Our quality care and accessibility is only possible through generous donations from individuals, businesses and foundations, as well as government sponsored public programs. This financial support is essential to our ability to serve the thousands of Minnesotans who might otherwise not receive much needed care.
Thank you for remembering Community Dental Care with your gift to help people smile again.Please note pictures and names have been changed to protect the identity of our patients. Community Dental Care mini-grants are available on a case-by-case basis to assist patients in need who meet eligibility criteria, depending on funds available and at the clinics discretion.
Community Dental Cares School-Based Sealant Program provides preventive dental services and referral assistance to diverse, low-income students at 15 elementary schools in the Twin Cities, serving children who may not otherwise have access to dental care. We met Noah, who held back tears in his eyes as he anxiously made his way to the bright red, mobile dental chair. Kate, our kind and compassionate hygienist, carefully prepared Noah for his visit. She showed him the silly straw used to suck up saliva, the tooth counter that does a little tap dance on teeth, and the air-water sprayer that tickles your gums. Still, Noah was apprehensive and we were unable to complete a screening. With attention and care, Kate applied fluoride varnish and explained to Noah that he could return whenever he felt ready.
Grayson and his family drive over forty minutes to access dental care at our clinic. During his visit, our dentist found that Grayson had some cavities and gave him a treatment plan, as well as a referral to our Program to Improve Community Oral Health (PICOH) to help him learn how to prevent cavities.
Meet 6-year-old Eh La. When he walked in with his mother, he was visibly in pain. He wasnt sleeping and missed two days of school. Eh La put on a brave face as he slowly made his way into the chair and stared at our dentist with tears in his eyes. Eh La had deep cavities that resulted in a large abscess. An abscess, left untreated, can spread infection throughout a childs entire body. Our dentist explained to Eh Las mother the condition of her sons tooth and showed her the cause of Eh Las restless nights in pain. Eh Las mother was worried she couldn't pay for Eh La's treatment. Through a gift from a generous donor, we were able to provide treatment at no cost to the family. Now, he has a healthy mouth and can return to school to learn.
These gifts allow us to continue our mission so we can meet the needs of the underserved. These are the stories of some of our amazing donors and why they choose to give to Community Dental Care. Thank you for your generous support!
(1922 - 2021) We honor and remember the life and legacy of Dr. Clarence Bass, one of the founding Board members of Community Dental Care. At age 98, Dr. Bass died surrounded by his loving family. Dr. Bass provided tremendous leadership and thoughtful advice as a CDC Board member for over 15 years. He was known for his giant heart for helping underprivileged communities, and led with a principle to help others less fortunate. Dr. Bass contribution to Community Dental Care will be forever treasured. Clarence was a man of great accomplishments, while also having a humble spirit and deeply caring for others. I will greatly miss his friendship and wisdom, Cedric Long, Chairman of the Board, shared.
He was greatly loved by his family, former students, missionaries, colleagues, friends and everyone who knew him. Phil Lacher, CFO of Community Dental Care shared, Clarence was an honest, caring, smart and informed man and I consider it an honor to have called him my friend he will be missed.
This is where I am meant to be, Carolyn shared as she reflected on her nearly 30-year history with Community Dental Care in St Paul. In the beginning, Carolyn was an advisor to Dr. Petersons dental practice, leading staff meetings once a month. As the clinic grew, serving a high number of refugees and immigrants from Southeast Asia, Dr. Peterson recruited her to manage her practice full-time. Since then, Carolyn has dedicated her career to providing compassionate and thoughtful leadership. Carolyn explained, Oral health is often overlooked when we talk about the overall health of the body. Oral disease causes children to miss more school than for any other reason. Without access to care, it can cause a great deal of pain and, in extreme cases, an infection can travel to your brain and cause death. This continues to be very dear to my heart because we see so many people who are suffering. You also see their gratitude and how youve made a difference in their lives. When asked why she donates to Community Dental Care, Carolyn shared, When you really believe in something, you invest. You invest your time, your efforts, and your money. We are deeply grateful for Carolyns investment in improving the health of our community.
You may know Phil Lacher, Community Dental Cares longtime CFO, as the highly competent, reliable and compassionate leader that he is, but did you know he is also one of our longest and largest donors? For over 10 years, Phil and Deb have made monthly contributions to Community Dental Care in support of our mini-grant fund to provide free dental care for children and adults in need. When asked why they give, Phil explained, My heart is with children. Some of these kids dont stand a chance in life unless we help them. Phil prioritizes giving to our mini-grant fund because he knows his gifts go directly to people in need, both adults and children who have urgent dental disease and cannot afford care. We see so many people who need help, I hope to inspire others to give to the mini-grant fund as well. Phil has worked for Community Dental Care for more than 12 years, and has seen the organization through both great expansion and many challenges. When asked to comment, Karen Kleinhans, CEO, shared, I am so grateful for Phil, not only for his expertise, hard work and reliability, but also for his tremendous commitment to our mission. We are so fortunate to have him as our CFO and friend!
Thank you to the Kubo Della Torre Charitable Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation for your generous gifts to Community Dental Care! Drs. Adele Della Torre, DDS, and Spencer Kubo, MD, care deeply about the health and well-being of all people. We believe that every person has a basic right to health care, education, housing, food and employment, and it is our responsibility to work for the common good. When asked why they give to Community Dental Care, Dr. Della Torre explained, You serve so many people who suffer from disparities in access to dental care. Dr. Della Torre, a private dentist in Minneapolis, founded Ready Set Smile in 2013 as a not-for-profit to provide culturally sensitive preventive dental services and education in schools serving low resourced families. While I have worked in many areas of social justice, as a dentist, I know low income and immigrant families face many barriers in accessing desperately needed oral health care. Community Dental Care partners with Ready Set Smile to provide restorative care for children with advanced cavities. We are working toward the same goals and want to support the work that Community Dental Care does for people of all ages.
Founders of Community Dental Care, Dr. Andrew and Dr. Vacharee Peterson have been long time donors. They began their practice in 1982 with one dental chair and a mission to deliver care to underserved communities, especially new immigrant, refugee and low-income families. When asked why they support the organization, Dr. Peterson said, Because they do good work for the community. A verse I would like to share is Proverbs 11:24-25, One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Dr. Peterson stated, I dream to have a cavity free world and it starts small. Brushing is most importantand especially for everyone NOT to go to bed with dirty teeth. It starts with babies and toddlers, but this message can be for everyone. Dr. Petersons passion is to prevent disease in children and is the driving force behind her work. Their legacy and vision continues to live through the staff, volunteers, board and donors of Community Dental Care.
When asked why they give, Jane and Mary said, We support Community Dental Care because dental care is an important part of health care and should be available to ALL PEOPLE. Thank you to Mary and Jane Campion for their tremendous support in time, talent and treasure. Honoring their fathers legacy as a dentist in the community of Rochester, Jane and Mary serve as Rochester Advisory Council members for Community Dental Care. Jane emphasizes that Dr. Charles Mayo, co-founder of the Mayo Clinic and visionary innovator in health care delivery, stated in 1915, The next great preventive step in medicine lies with the dentists. Oral hygiene education will do much toward lowering the death rate in Minnesota.
Thank you to Dr. Tyler Beinlich for all that you do for your patients and your gift to Community Dental Care! Dr. Beinlich is a pediatric dentist who provides specialty dental care for children with significant dental disease. When asked about why he made a donation to Community Dental Care, Dr. Beinlich said, While working at Community Dental Care I saw first-hand how patients received help directly from charitable gifts from donors. I wanted to contribute to keep the work going so that more people could get care. Dr. Beinlich shared, When you have a child in the dental chair, in a lot of pain, and you see how brave they are during a procedure that is difficult and you then see the child realize that they have in themselves the ability to overcome that it is very rewarding to see them happy at the end of their visit.
Languages that are spoken by our staff include Amharic, Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bosnian, Burmese, Croatian, Dinka, English, Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Hmong, Karen, Laotian, Luganda, Mandarin, Marathi, Nepali, Oromo, Punjabi, Russian, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Ukrainian, Urdu, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese.