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Community Health Center

EL RIO SOUTHWEST HEALTH CENTERS

1500 W Commerce Ct, Tucson, AZ 85746-6031

520-806-2650 Directions Website

EL RIO SOUTHWEST HEALTH CENTERS is a community health center dental clinic in Tucson, AZ, operated by El Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center, which runs 11 clinics in Arizona.

The health center is open about 45 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.

Clinic Details

Address1500 W Commerce Ct, Tucson, AZ 85746
Phone520-806-2650
Operated byEl Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center
ProgramHealth Center Program (federally funded)
Site scheduleFull-Time
Operating calendarYear-Round

Dental Services

Service and coverage information recorded for this clinic includes:

  • Medicaid

Treatments offered and insurance accepted change over time, and services not listed here may still be available. Contact the clinic to confirm what is currently offered.

Costs and Coverage

What you pay here is worked out from your household income and family size, not read off a price list. El Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center sets its own income bands, so a quote from another clinic tells you nothing about this one. Ask for your band in writing before agreeing to a course of treatment. Our guide to applying for the discount lists the documents to bring.

This clinic has a Medicaid billing registration on file, which is a good sign but not a guarantee for your particular plan. Adult dental coverage under Arizona Medicaid is decided at state level and has changed more than once in most states; children’s dental coverage is required everywhere. The Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.

Dental Providers at This Clinic

Alongside general dentistry, providers registered in dental hygiene, for cleanings and preventive care and pediatric dentistry, for children practice at this address. That is not the same as the clinic taking new patients for those treatments, or the discount covering them, so name the treatment when you call.

Size of the Dental Service

El Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center provided 81,476 dental visits and 37,931 dental patients in 2025, with the equivalent of 154.97 full-time dental staff. This indicates an established dental service operating regular sessions, although appointment availability still varies by clinic and time of year.

Figures describe the operating organization as a whole, across all of its clinics.

Planning Your Visit

1500 W Commerce Ct, Tucson, AZ 85746

The published number is 520-806-2650. Where an organization runs several sites this often lands at a central desk, so name the clinic and say the appointment is dental.

The call is worth making for: the dental hours, and which days appointments run, whether new dental patients are being taken, and the current wait, what a first visit costs, before and after any discount, and what to bring for the sliding fee application.

Common Questions

What should I bring to the first appointment?

Photo identification, proof of address, and documentation of household income — recent pay stubs, a benefits award letter or a tax return. Take your insurance or Medicaid card if you have one, and a list of any medications you take.

Is the discount worked out on gross income or take-home pay?

Normally gross, before tax and deductions, which surprises people who budget by what lands in the account. Ask which figure this clinic uses and over what period, because a year that included a few months of higher earnings can put you in a band that does not reflect what you have now.

What if I need more work than I can afford?

Say that plainly at the start. A dentist who does not know the budget will quote the ideal plan. Told the constraint, they can usually say which item is urgent, which can wait a year, and where a cheaper option is clinically reasonable. Ask for the plan in writing so you can stage it.

How do they work out what I pay?

From your household income and family size, checked against a scale the clinic sets itself. That is why a quote from another clinic tells you nothing about this one. Our guide to applying for the discount lists the documents to take.

Does Medicare cover this?

Original Medicare does not cover routine dental care, which surprises most people who reach retirement expecting otherwise. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a limited dental benefit. The sliding scale here does not depend on Medicare, so ask about it separately.

Do they see children?

Health centers are generally set up for families and children’s dental coverage is a required Medicaid benefit in every state, so this is usually yes. Minimum ages and whether children are seen on the same days as adults do vary, so ask when booking.

Other Clinics Operated by El Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center

El Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center operates 10 other clinics in 5 other communities in Arizona. A central scheduling line can often say which of them has the shortest wait, and it is not always the nearest one. The income assessment usually transfers between sites in the same organization, which saves repeating the paperwork. What is treated at one site is no guide to another, so confirm with the clinic you actually intend to visit.

Other Dental Clinics Nearby

Measured straight-line rather than by road. Availability varies enough between them that a second call is usually worth making.

Confirmed Payment Options

Income-Based FeesMedicaid

Call EL RIO SOUTHWEST HEALTH CENTERS

Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.

520-806-2650

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Before you call

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How sliding-scale dental clinics workWho qualifies, and what the discount does and does not cover.
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Does Medicaid cover dental care?Adult coverage is a state choice; children are covered everywhere.
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Finding dental care without insuranceThe three cheaper routes compared.
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