Community Health Center
Edward M. Kennedy Health Clinic
925 2nd Ave, Monte Vista, CO 81144-1432 23.5 miles away
Community Health Center
La Jara Dental Clinic
421 Walnut St, La Jara, CO 81140-5064
La Jara Dental Clinic is a community health center dental clinic in La Jara, CO, operated by Valley-Wide Health Systems, which runs 10 clinics in Colorado.
The health center is open about 40 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.
Clinic Details
| Address | 421 Walnut St, La Jara, CO 81140 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 719-274-8948 |
| Operated by | Valley-Wide Health Systems |
| Program | Health Center Program (federally funded) |
| Site schedule | Full-Time |
| Operating calendar | Year-Round |
| Published hours | Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Published hours describe the health center overall and may not reflect when dental appointments are available. Confirm current dental hours with the clinic.
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. Because Valley-Wide Health Systems sets the thresholds itself, the same household can pay different amounts at two different health centers. 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 Colorado 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 hygiene, for cleanings and preventive care and 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.
Size of the Dental Service
Valley-Wide Health Systems provided 21,328 dental visits and 7,686 dental patients in 2025, with the equivalent of 38.07 full-time dental staff. This indicates an established dental service operating regular sessions, although appointment availability still varies by clinic and time of year.
Figures describe the operating organization as a whole, across all of its clinics.
Planning Your Visit
421 Walnut St, La Jara, CO 81140
The published number is 719-274-8948. 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: 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
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. Valley-Wide Health Systems sets its own scale.
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 have no fixed address?
Say so when you call rather than leaving the field blank. Health centers see people without stable housing routinely, some hold a specific program for it, and a shelter or day center address is normally accepted for the paperwork. Not having an address is not a disqualification.
How large is the dental program?
Across all of its sites, Valley-Wide Health Systems reported treating 7,686 dental patients in its most recent federal return. That is the organization rather than this address, and a large organization can still run a small dental room here, so it tells you the program is real and operating rather than how many chairs are in this building.
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 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.
Other Clinics Operated by Valley-Wide Health Systems
Valley-Wide Health Systems operates 9 other clinics in 9 other communities in Colorado. A central scheduling line can often say which of them has the shortest wait, and it is not always the nearest one. A sliding fee determination made at one of its clinics commonly carries across to the others, so income documents may not need providing twice. 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 straight-line, not driving. Waiting times differ sharply between neighbors, so call more than one.
- Edward M. Kennedy Health Clinic — Monte Vista, about 23.5 miles away
- San Luis Health Center, Ernesto Pacheco Dental Clinic, or San Luis Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation — San Luis, about 29.8 miles away
- Center Dental Clinic — Center, about 34 miles away
- PMS - QUESTA HEALTH CENTER — Questa, about 42.9 miles away
Confirmed Payment Options
Income-Based Fees
Call La Jara Dental Clinic
Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.
Nearby Affordable Dental Clinics
Community Health Center
San Luis Health Center, Ernesto Pacheco Dental Clinic, or San Luis Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation
233 Main St STE B, San Luis, CO 81152-5095 29.8 miles away
Community Health Center
Center Dental Clinic
135 E 6th St, Center, CO 81125 34 miles away
Community Health Center
PMS - QUESTA HEALTH CENTER
2573 State Hwy 522, Questa, NM 87556 42.9 miles away
Before you call
