Community Health Center
DIENTES COMMUNITY DENTAL CLINIC
1830 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95065-1819 0.9 miles away
Community Health Center
Dientes Community Dental Care - Capitola Road
1500 Capitola Rd, Santa Cruz, CA 95062-2912
Dientes Community Dental Care - Capitola Road is a community health center dental clinic in Santa Cruz, CA, operated by County of Santa Cruz, which runs 3 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 | 1500 Capitola Rd, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 831-276-7010 |
| Operated by | County of Santa Cruz |
| 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. County of Santa Cruz sets its own income bands, so a quote from another clinic tells you nothing about this one. 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.
Dental Providers at This Clinic
Alongside general dentistry, providers registered in pediatric dentistry, for children 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.
Planning Your Visit
1500 Capitola Rd, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
The published number is 831-276-7010. 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.
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 this a federally funded clinic?
Yes, this site operates under the federal Health Center Program, which is what obliges it to discount by household income and to see patients regardless of ability to pay. It does not make the care free, and it does not decide which treatments are offered here.
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 about cleanings and check-ups?
Preventive care is the cheapest thing a clinic like this does and the easiest to book, yet it is the first thing people drop when money is short. If you are already here for something else, ask to be put on the recall list while you are in the building.
Is the discount worked out on gross income or take-home pay?
Normally gross, before tax and deductions, which surprises people who budget by what lands in the account. Ask which figure this clinic uses and over what period, because a year that included a few months of higher earnings can put you in a band that does not reflect what you have now.
Other Clinics Operated by County of Santa Cruz
County of Santa Cruz operates 2 other clinics elsewhere in California. A central scheduling line can often say which of them has the shortest wait, and it is not always the nearest one. 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
Measured straight-line rather than by road. Availability varies enough between them that a second call is usually worth making.
- DIENTES COMMUNITY DENTAL CLINIC — Santa Cruz, less than a mile away
- Pioneer Street Clinic — Santa Cruz, about 2.8 miles away
- CLINICA DEL VALLE DEL PAJARO — Watsonville, about 11.2 miles away
- Salud at 208 Green Valley — Freedom, about 12.1 miles away
Confirmed Payment Options
Income-Based Fees
Call Dientes Community Dental Care - Capitola Road
Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.
Nearby Affordable Dental Clinics
Community Health Center
Pioneer Street Clinic
100 Pioneer St, Suite D, Santa Cruz, CA 95060-2181 2.8 miles away
Community Health Center
CLINICA DEL VALLE DEL PAJARO
45 Neilson St, Watsonville, CA 95076 11.2 miles away
Community Health Center
Salud at 208 Green Valley
208 Green Valley Rd, Freedom, CA 95019-3135 12.1 miles away
Before you call
