Community Health Center
La Maestra City Heights Clinic
4074 Fairmount Ave, San Diego, CA 92105-1608 1.4 miles away
Community Health Center
City Heights Family Health Center
5454 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92115-3621
City Heights Family Health Center is a community health center dental clinic in San Diego, 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 | 5454 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92115 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 619-515-2400 |
| Operated by | Family Health Centers of San Diego |
| Program | Health Center Program (federally funded) |
| Site schedule | Full-Time |
| Operating calendar | Year-Round |
Dental Services
What is treated here is not published in a form we can confirm. Examinations, cleanings, fillings and extractions are standard at this kind of clinic. Root canals and dentures are the ones to ask about, since a referral to a private specialist changes the cost completely.
Common Questions
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.
Do I need to be a US citizen?
No. The Health Center Program does not set citizenship or immigration status as a condition of being seen, and clinics in it are not required to ask. What they do need is something to work out your fee, which is income and household size rather than status. If this is the thing keeping you from calling, ask what they require before you decide not to go.
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.
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. Family Health Centers of San Diego sets its own scale.
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.
What happens at a first appointment?
Usually an examination with X-rays, sometimes a cleaning, and normally no treatment beyond that — anything found is scheduled for a later visit. Those items are billed separately, which is where unexpected first-visit charges come from. Ask for a written treatment plan with itemized costs before agreeing to anything, so you can stage the work over time if you need to.
Costs and Coverage
This clinic prices by household income and family size instead of charging everyone the same. Where the thresholds fall is decided by Family Health Centers of San Diego, so what a friend paid elsewhere is not a guide. Have them assess you before treatment is agreed, not after the first appointment. 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 benefits vary by state and California has set its own; children’s dental coverage is mandatory in every state regardless. The Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.
Planning Your Visit
5454 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92115
The published number is 619-515-2400. This can be a general line rather than the dental desk. Naming both the clinic and the department saves being transferred twice.
Worth confirming before you travel: 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.
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. The wait differs between them, sometimes by weeks, so ask which site could see you first rather than assuming the nearest is quickest. 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 Maestra City Heights Clinic — San Diego, about 1.4 miles away
- La Maestra Family Clinic — San Diego, about 1.5 miles away
- MID - CITY COMMUNITY CLINIC - PEDIATRICS — San Diego, about 1.5 miles away
- La Maestra Dental Clinic — San Diego, about 1.5 miles away
Confirmed Payment Options
Income-Based Fees
Call City Heights Family Health Center
Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.
Nearby Affordable Dental Clinics
Community Health Center
La Maestra Family Clinic
4060 Fairmount Ave, San Diego, CA 92105-1608 1.5 miles away
Community Health Center
MID - CITY COMMUNITY CLINIC - PEDIATRICS
4305 University Ave, Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92105-1690 1.5 miles away
Community Health Center
La Maestra Dental Clinic
4305 University Ave, Suite 120, San Diego, CA 92105-1645 1.5 miles away
Before you call
