Community Health Center
East County Wellness Center
8530 La Mesa Blvd STE 306, La Mesa, CA 91942-0967 1.3 miles away
Community Health Center
La Mesa Family Dental Clinic
7557 El Cajon Blvd, Suite A, La Mesa, CA 91942-7823
La Mesa Family Dental Clinic 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 | 7557 El Cajon Blvd, Suite A, La Mesa, CA 91942 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 619-515-2300 |
| Operated by | Family Health Centers of San Diego |
| Program | Health Center Program (federally funded) |
Dental Services
No service list has been published for this clinic, so the range here is worth asking about directly rather than assuming. The routine work — examinations, cleanings, X-rays, fillings, extractions — is normally available. Whether root canals, dentures and surgery are done on site is what differs from clinic to clinic.
Costs and Coverage
What you pay here is worked out from your household income and family size, not read off a price list. Where the thresholds fall is decided by Family Health Centers of San Diego, so what a friend paid elsewhere is not a guide. 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.
No Medicaid registration has been recorded for this clinic, which is not the same as Medicaid being refused. Adult dental coverage under California 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.
Planning Your Visit
7557 El Cajon Blvd, Suite A, La Mesa, CA 91942
The published number is 619-515-2300. 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, whether your insurance or Medicaid dental plan is accepted, by plan name, and what to bring for the sliding fee application.
Common Questions
What happens if I miss an appointment?
Missed dental appointments are taken seriously because the chair time cannot be reused, and repeated no-shows can affect whether you keep the slot. Call to cancel even at short notice; it costs you nothing and keeps you on the books.
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 need a specialist they do not have?
You would normally be referred out, and a referral from a health center does not carry the discount with it — the outside specialist charges their own fee. Ask what the referral would cost before starting anything that depends on it, because that is the point where an affordable plan often stops being affordable.
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.
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.
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. 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
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, about 1.3 miles away
- East County Wellness Center — La Mesa, about 1.3 miles away
- La Maestra Lemon Grove Clinic — Lemon Grove, about 1.8 miles away
- City Heights Family Health Center — San Diego, about 2.5 miles away
Confirmed Payment Options
Income-Based Fees
Call La Mesa Family Dental Clinic
Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.
Nearby Affordable Dental Clinics
Community Health Center
La Mesa Family Health Center
8530 La Mesa Blvd, Ste 200, La Mesa, CA 91942-0966 1.3 miles away
Community Health Center
La Maestra Lemon Grove Clinic
7967 Broadway, Lemon Grove, CA 91945-1809 1.8 miles away
Community Health Center
City Heights Family Health Center
5454 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92115-3621 2.5 miles away
Before you call
