Community Health Center
Primary Health Care - Bery Engebretsen Clinic
2353 SE 14th St, Des Moines, IA 50320-1109 2.7 miles away
Community Health Center
Primary Health Care at Kurtz Opportunity Center
1000 Porter Ave, Des Moines, IA 50315-7236
Primary Health Care at Kurtz Opportunity Center is a community health center dental clinic in Des Moines, IA, operated by Primary Health Care, which runs 4 clinics in Iowa.
The health center is open about 8 hours a week and may run only one or two days, so dental appointments are scarce.
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 | 1000 Porter Ave, Des Moines, IA 50315 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 515-242-7371 |
| Operated by | Primary Health Care |
| Program | Health Center Program (federally funded) |
| Setting | School |
Costs and Coverage
Fees follow an income-based scale, so the same treatment costs different patients different amounts. Where the thresholds fall is decided by Primary Health Care, so what a friend paid elsewhere is not a guide. Get the assessment done first; it changes what the whole plan costs, not just the first visit. 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. Iowa decides its own adult dental benefit, which ranges from comprehensive to emergency extractions only depending on the state and the year. Children are covered everywhere. The Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.
Dental Services
The treatments available at this clinic are not listed publicly. Health center dental programs usually cover examinations, cleanings, X-rays, fillings and extractions; root canals, dentures and oral surgery are the ones that vary, and are often referred out.
Planning Your Visit
1000 Porter Ave, Des Moines, IA 50315
The published number is 515-242-7371. At larger organizations it may reach central scheduling rather than the dental department, so say which clinic you are calling about and that it is for dental care.
Before making the trip, check: 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.
Size of the Dental Service
Primary Health Care provided 21,828 dental visits and 10,207 dental patients in 2025, with the equivalent of 28.73 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.
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.
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 dental priced the same as medical here?
Not always. Dental is sometimes on its own fee schedule at the same clinic, and laboratory costs for a crown or denture are often billed on top of the discounted fee. Ask specifically about dental rather than assuming the medical answer applies.
When is the dental clinic open?
Dental hours are frequently shorter than the hours posted for the health center as a whole, and they are not published in a form we can confirm for this clinic. Ask for the dental schedule specifically rather than the center’s.
Can I bring someone with me?
Generally yes, and it is worth doing if you are anxious or want a second pair of ears for the costs. Ask when booking whether they can come into the room, because some clinics keep the treatment area to patients and staff.
Is Medicaid accepted?
It has not been confirmed either way for this clinic, which is not the same as no. In most states the dental benefit runs through separate managed care plans, so call with the dental plan name printed on your card rather than asking about Medicaid in general.
Other Clinics Operated by Primary Health Care
Primary Health Care operates 3 other clinics in 2 other communities in Iowa. Where an organization runs several clinics, the waits rarely match. It is worth asking which one has capacity before settling on the closest. 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 as the crow flies. Wait times are set clinic by clinic, so ask each one rather than assuming.
- Primary Health Care - Bery Engebretsen Clinic — Des Moines, about 2.7 miles away
- Primary Health Care - University Dental Clinic — Des Moines, about 4.6 miles away
- Primary Health Care - Marshalltown Clinic — Marshalltown, about 49.2 miles away
- Infinity Health — Leon, about 54.4 miles away
Confirmed Payment Options
Income-Based Fees
Call Primary Health Care at Kurtz Opportunity Center
Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.
Nearby Affordable Dental Clinics
Community Health Center
Primary Health Care - University Dental Clinic
1200 University Ave, Suite 100, Des Moines, IA 50314-2355 4.6 miles away
Community Health Center
Primary Health Care - Marshalltown Clinic
101 Iowa Ave W, Suite 102, Marshalltown, IA 50158-4781 49.2 miles away
Community Health Center
Infinity Health
302 NE 14th St, Leon, IA 50144-1206 54.4 miles away
Before you call
