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Community Health Center

IMPERIAL BEACH HEALTH CENTER

949 Palm Ave, Imperial Beach, CA 91932-1503

619-429-3733 x560 Directions Website

IMPERIAL BEACH HEALTH CENTER is a community health center dental clinic in Imperial Beach, CA, operated by Imperial Beach Community Clinic.

The health center is open about 60 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.

Clinic Details

Address949 Palm Ave, Imperial Beach, CA 91932
Phone619-429-3733 x560
Operated byImperial Beach Community Clinic
ProgramHealth Center Program (federally funded)
Site scheduleFull-Time
Operating calendarYear-Round

Planning Your Visit

949 Palm Ave, Imperial Beach, CA 91932

The published number is 619-429-3733 x560. 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, whether your insurance or Medicaid dental plan is accepted, by plan name, and what to bring for the sliding fee application.

Dental Services

This clinic has not published a list of the treatments it provides. Expect the routine treatments to be available. The question worth asking is about the expensive ones: root canals, dentures and oral surgery are handled in house at some health centers and referred out at others.

Costs and Coverage

Charges are set against household income and household size rather than a fixed fee schedule. Imperial Beach Community Clinic sets its own income bands, so a quote from another clinic tells you nothing about this one. 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.

No Medicaid registration has been recorded for this clinic, which is not the same as Medicaid being refused. 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.

Common Questions

I have private dental insurance. Is it worth using here?

Often yes, and the two combine: the clinic bills your plan and the discount applies to what is left. Ask whether they are in network for your plan, because out-of-network billing can leave you paying more than the discounted cash price.

Do they do root canals, or would I be referred out?

This is the question worth asking before anything else if you already know you need one. Health centers commonly do extractions in-house and refer root canals to a private endodontist at full price, which changes the arithmetic completely. Ask before you start treatment, not after.

What if I cannot get there?

Ask whether the clinic has transport assistance or can tell you what local programs exist — many health centers help with this and it is rarely advertised. Your county health department is the other place that knows.

Does my partner’s income count?

If you share a household, generally yes, and household size counts in your favor at the same time — the scale reads income against the number of people it supports. Say who lives with you and who depends on that income, rather than giving a single figure and letting them assume.

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.

Is treatment free?

Usually not, though it can come close. Clinics like this one discount by household income and are required to see patients regardless of ability to pay, but a charge normally applies and the lowest band is a nominal fee rather than nothing. Imperial Beach Community Clinic sets its own scale.

Size of the Dental Service

Imperial Beach Community Clinic provided 3,732 dental visits and 1,359 dental patients in 2025, with the equivalent of 5.76 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.

Other Clinics Operated by Imperial Beach Community Clinic

Imperial Beach Community Clinic runs this clinic as its only site, so there is one scheduling line and one waiting list. If nothing is available, the nearby clinics below are the next call.

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 Fees

Call IMPERIAL BEACH HEALTH CENTER

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

619-429-3733 x560

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Before you call

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