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Community Health Center

ALIVIO MEDICAL CENTER

966 W 21st St, Chicago, IL 60608-4511

773-254-1400 Directions

ALIVIO MEDICAL CENTER is a community health center dental clinic in Chicago, IL, operated by Alivio Medical Center, which runs 3 clinics in Illinois.

The health center is open about 42 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.

Clinic Details

Address966 W 21st St, Chicago, IL 60608
Phone773-254-1400
Operated byAlivio Medical Center
ProgramHealth Center Program (federally funded)
Site scheduleFull-Time
Operating calendarYear-Round

Planning Your Visit

966 W 21st St, Chicago, IL 60608

The published number is 773-254-1400. 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. Where the thresholds fall is decided by Alivio Medical Center, so what a friend paid elsewhere is not a guide. 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 Illinois 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.

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.

Common Questions

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.

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 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.

How large is the dental program?

Across all of its sites, Alivio Medical Center reported treating 1,832 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 long does the discount last?

A determination usually runs for a set period, often a year, and then has to be reapplied for with current income documents. If your circumstances change in between — a job lost, a household member moving out — ask for a reassessment rather than waiting.

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.

Size of the Dental Service

Alivio Medical Center provided 4,956 dental visits and 1,832 dental patients in 2025, with the equivalent of 6.45 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.

Other Clinics Operated by Alivio Medical Center

Alivio Medical Center operates 2 other clinics in 2 other communities in Illinois. 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. 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.

Confirmed Payment Options

Income-Based Fees

Call ALIVIO MEDICAL CENTER

Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.

773-254-1400

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Before you call

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Does Medicaid cover dental care?Adult coverage is a state choice; children are covered everywhere.
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