Community Health Center
La Mesa Family Health Center
8530 La Mesa Blvd, Ste 200, La Mesa, CA 91942-0966 0 miles away
Community Health Center
East County Wellness Center
8530 La Mesa Blvd STE 306, La Mesa, CA 91942-0967
East County Wellness Center is a community health center dental clinic in La Mesa, CA, operated by Family Health Centers of San Diego, which runs 10 clinics in California.
The health center is open about 40 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.
Clinic Details
| Address | 8530 La Mesa Blvd STE 306, La Mesa, CA 91942 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 619-515-2300 |
| Operated by | Family Health Centers of San Diego |
| Program | Health Center Program (federally funded) |
Planning Your Visit
8530 La Mesa Blvd STE 306, La Mesa, CA 91942
The published number is 619-515-2300. 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. Where the thresholds fall is decided by Family Health Centers of San Diego, so what a friend paid elsewhere is not a guide. 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.
Dental Providers at This Clinic
Alongside general dentistry, providers registered in orthodontics, for braces and alignment and dental hygiene, for cleanings and preventive care 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 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.
Can I pay in installments?
Many health centers will arrange this, particularly for dentures or a course of treatment, but it is rarely advertised and you generally have to ask. Agree the amount and the schedule before treatment starts, and ask what happens if you miss one, because that varies more than the plans themselves do.
What if I do not have a phone for them to call back on?
Tell them at the point of booking and ask how they will contact you — some clinics will use an email address, a shelter or a relative’s number. Missing a call back about an appointment is a common way to lose a slot that was already booked.
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.
Will I see a dentist or a hygienist?
Depends on what you booked. A cleaning is normally a hygienist; an examination, filling or extraction is a dentist. Some clinics run hygiene appointments on different days from dentist appointments, which is worth knowing before you take time off.
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.
Other Clinics Operated by Family Health Centers of San Diego
Family Health Centers of San Diego operates 9 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. 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
Distances are as the crow flies. Wait times are set clinic by clinic, so ask each one rather than assuming.
- La Mesa Family Health Center — La Mesa, at the same address
- La Mesa Family Dental Clinic — La Mesa, about 1.3 miles away
- La Maestra Lemon Grove Clinic — Lemon Grove, about 2 miles away
- San Ysidro Health El Cajon/San Diego PACE — El Cajon, about 2.4 miles away
Confirmed Payment Options
Income-Based Fees
Call East County Wellness Center
Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.
Nearby Affordable Dental Clinics
Community Health Center
La Mesa Family Dental Clinic
7557 El Cajon Blvd, Suite A, La Mesa, CA 91942-7823 1.3 miles away
Community Health Center
La Maestra Lemon Grove Clinic
7967 Broadway, Lemon Grove, CA 91945-1809 2 miles away
Community Health Center
San Ysidro Health El Cajon/San Diego PACE
875 El Cajon Blvd, El Cajon, CA 92020-5714 2.4 miles away
Before you call
