Community Health Center
Kenilworth
1627 Kenilworth Ave NE, Washington, DC 20019-2010 1.2 miles away
Community Health Center
H.D. Woodson Student Health Center
540 55th St NE, Washington, DC 20019-6799
H.D. Woodson Student Health Center is a community health center dental clinic in Washington, DC, operated by Unity Health Care, which runs 14 clinics in District of Columbia.
The health center is open about 25.5 hours a week, so dental capacity is limited and the wait can be long.
Access to This Clinic
This clinic is located inside a school. School-based health center sites typically serve enrolled students, and in some cases their families or the surrounding community. Access is determined jointly by the school and the health center. Contact the clinic before visiting to confirm whether patients who are not students can be seen.
Clinic Details
| Address | 540 55th St NE, Washington, DC 20019 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 202-715-7900 |
| Operated by | Unity Health Care |
| Program | Health Center Program (federally funded) |
| Setting | School |
| Site schedule | Full-Time |
| Operating calendar | Year-Round |
Planning Your Visit
540 55th St NE, Washington, DC 20019
The published number is 202-715-7900. It may be a shared scheduling line. Say which site you mean and that you want dental rather than medical, or you can be booked into the wrong queue.
Things to settle on the phone first: 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.
Dental Services
This clinic has not published a list of the treatments it provides. Expect the routine treatments to be available. The question worth asking is about the expensive ones: root canals, dentures and oral surgery are handled in house at some health centers and referred out at others.
Costs and Coverage
Charges are set against household income and household size rather than a fixed fee schedule. Because Unity Health Care sets the thresholds itself, the same household can pay different amounts at two different health centers. Ask them to run your household through it before you commit to a treatment plan. 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. What District of Columbia Medicaid covers for adults is a state decision and has been cut and restored in several states; for children the benefit is required nationally. The Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.
Common Questions
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.
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.
How do I get my records if I move away?
Ask for a copy of your chart and your X-rays, which you are entitled to. Recent images are worth having: a new dentist can often use them instead of taking their own, which saves a charge at the first visit somewhere else.
Do I have to pay on the day?
Commonly yes, at least the discounted portion, and some clinics ask for it before treatment rather than after. Ask what is due at the first visit, because a discount determination and the first appointment are sometimes separate visits.
What if I need to be seen urgently?
If you think it might be an emergency, go to an emergency room rather than trying to book here — that is the one situation where the price of the visit is not the thing to weigh. Otherwise, call early in the day and say you are in pain, because it routes the call differently; some health centers hold same-day slots for exactly that and do not advertise them.
Other Clinics Operated by Unity Health Care
Unity Health Care operates 13 other clinics elsewhere in District of Columbia. Asking the scheduling line which site can see you soonest is usually faster than calling each in turn; the shortest wait is not always the closest clinic. 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
Distances are straight-line, not driving. Waiting times differ sharply between neighbors, so call more than one.
- Kenilworth — Washington, about 1.2 miles away
- Parkside Health Center — Washington, about 1.4 miles away
- Minnesota Ave Health Center — Washington, about 1.5 miles away
- Greater Baden Medical Service at Capitol Heights I — Capitol Heights, about 2.5 miles away
Confirmed Payment Options
Income-Based Fees
Call H.D. Woodson Student Health Center
Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.
Nearby Affordable Dental Clinics
Community Health Center
Parkside Health Center
765 Kenilworth Ter NE, Washington, DC 20019-1898 1.4 miles away
Community Health Center
Minnesota Ave Health Center
3946 Minnesota Ave NE, Washington, DC 20019-2661 1.5 miles away
Community Health Center
Greater Baden Medical Service at Capitol Heights I
1458 Addison Rd S, Capitol Heights, MD 20743-4413 2.5 miles away
Before you call
