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Community Health Center

LifeLong Dental Clinic

1860 Alcatraz Ave, Berkeley, CA 94703-2715

510-653-8500 Directions Website

LifeLong Dental Clinic is a community health center dental clinic in Berkeley, CA, operated by Lifelong Medical Care, which runs 4 clinics in California.

The health center is open about 35 hours a week, so dental capacity is limited and the wait can be long.

Clinic Details

Address1860 Alcatraz Ave, Berkeley, CA 94703
Phone510-653-8500
Operated byLifelong Medical Care
ProgramHealth Center Program (federally funded)
Site scheduleFull-Time
Operating calendarYear-Round

Planning Your Visit

1860 Alcatraz Ave, Berkeley, CA 94703

The published number is 510-653-8500. It may be a shared scheduling line. Say which site you mean and that you want dental rather than medical, or you can be booked into the wrong queue.

Things to settle on the phone first: 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.

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

Charges are set against household income and household size rather than a fixed fee schedule. The bands are set by Lifelong Medical Care rather than nationally, which is why prices differ between two clinics on the same scale. Ask them to run your household through it before you commit to a treatment plan. 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. What California Medicaid covers for adults is a state decision and has been cut and restored in several states; for children the benefit is required nationally. The Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.

Dental Providers at This Clinic

Alongside general dentistry, providers registered in dental public health and prosthodontics, for dentures, crowns, and bridges 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.

Common Questions

Is anything done for anxiety?

Ask, because the answer changes what the visit costs. Talking it through, longer appointments and numbing gel before the injection are usually free; sedation is a billed extra and does not always fall inside the discount. Our guide to dental anxiety and what it costs covers what to ask for.

Is dental priced the same as medical here?

Not always. Dental is sometimes on its own fee schedule at the same clinic, and laboratory costs for a crown or denture are often billed on top of the discounted fee. Ask specifically about dental rather than assuming the medical answer applies.

When is the dental clinic open?

Dental hours are frequently shorter than the hours posted for the health center as a whole, and they are not published in a form we can confirm for this clinic. Ask for the dental schedule specifically rather than the center’s.

Is the building accessible if I use a wheelchair?

Federally supported facilities are subject to accessibility requirements, but the practical questions — whether the dental chair can be transferred to, whether the accessible entrance is the one you would arrive at — are worth asking directly rather than assuming from the front door.

Does California Medicaid cover adult dental work?

That is decided at state level and has changed more than once in most states, ranging from comprehensive to emergency extractions only. Dental coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid is a required benefit everywhere. Our Medicaid dental page covers how to check where your state stands now.

Is there help if I do not speak English?

Health centers are required to provide language assistance and most have interpreting available, in person or by phone. Say which language you need when you book rather than on the day, so an interpreter can be arranged for the appointment.

Other Clinics Operated by Lifelong Medical Care

Lifelong Medical Care operates 3 other clinics in 3 other communities in California. Asking the scheduling line which site can see you soonest is usually faster than calling each in turn; the shortest wait is not always the closest clinic. Once your discount is assessed at one of its sites, the others normally honor it without a second application. 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

Straight-line distances. The nearest clinic is not reliably the one that can see you soonest, so try a couple.

Confirmed Payment Options

Income-Based FeesMedicaid

Call LifeLong Dental Clinic

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

510-653-8500

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