Community Health Center
Dientes Community Dental Care - Capitola Road
1500 Capitola Rd, Santa Cruz, CA 95062-2912 0.9 miles away
Community Health Center
DIENTES COMMUNITY DENTAL CLINIC
1830 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95065-1819
DIENTES COMMUNITY DENTAL CLINIC 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 | 1830 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95065 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 831-464-5409 |
| Operated by | County of Santa Cruz |
| Program | Health Center Program (federally funded) |
| Site schedule | Full-Time |
| Operating calendar | Year-Round |
Dental Services
Service and coverage information recorded for this clinic includes:
- Care for uninsured patients
- Cleanings
- Dental examinations
- Dentures
- Extractions
- Fillings
- Medicaid
- Root canal treatment
Treatments offered and insurance accepted change over time, and services not listed here may still be available. Contact the clinic to confirm what is currently offered.
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.
This clinic has a Medicaid billing registration on file, which is a good sign but not a guarantee for your particular plan. 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 dental public health 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
1830 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95065
The published number is 831-464-5409. 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, and what to bring for the sliding fee application.
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.
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 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.
What if I have no income at all?
Health centers deal with this routinely and have a procedure for applicants who cannot document income — usually a signed declaration. Being unable to prove income is not a reason to stay away; say so when you call so they can tell you what to bring instead.
How soon could I be seen?
Dental waits at health centers are frequently longer than medical waits, and can run weeks for a routine appointment. Ask for the next available and also whether they hold same-day slots for pain, which is a different queue.
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.
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 Care - Capitola Road — Santa Cruz, less than a mile away
- Pioneer Street Clinic — Santa Cruz, about 3 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 FeesMedicaidUninsuredMedicaid
Call DIENTES COMMUNITY DENTAL CLINIC
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 3 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
