Community Health Center
Upham's Eye and Dental Clinic
636 Columbia Rd, Dorchester, MA 02125-3416 0.9 miles away
Community Health Center
GEIGER - GIBSON COMMUNITY HLTH CTR
250 Mount Vernon St, Dorchester, MA 02125-3120
GEIGER - GIBSON COMMUNITY HLTH CTR is a community health center dental clinic in Dorchester, MA, operated by Harbor Health Services, which runs 3 clinics in Massachusetts.
The health center is open about 55 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.
Clinic Details
| Address | 250 Mount Vernon St, Dorchester, MA 02125 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 617-288-1140 |
| Operated by | Harbor Health Services |
| Program | Health Center Program (federally funded) |
| Site schedule | Full-Time |
| Operating calendar | Year-Round |
Planning Your Visit
250 Mount Vernon St, Dorchester, MA 02125
The published number is 617-288-1140. 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. The scale belongs to Harbor Health Services, not to a national schedule, so the only reliable figure is the one they give you. 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 Massachusetts 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 hygiene, for cleanings and preventive care 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
Is the discount worked out on gross income or take-home pay?
Normally gross, before tax and deductions, which surprises people who budget by what lands in the account. Ask which figure this clinic uses and over what period, because a year that included a few months of higher earnings can put you in a band that does not reflect what you have now.
What if I need more work than I can afford?
Say that plainly at the start. A dentist who does not know the budget will quote the ideal plan. Told the constraint, they can usually say which item is urgent, which can wait a year, and where a cheaper option is clinically reasonable. Ask for the plan in writing so you can stage it.
How do they work out what I pay?
From your household income and family size, checked against a scale the clinic sets itself. That is why a quote from another clinic tells you nothing about this one. Our guide to applying for the discount lists the documents to take.
Does Medicare cover this?
Original Medicare does not cover routine dental care, which surprises most people who reach retirement expecting otherwise. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a limited dental benefit. The sliding scale here does not depend on Medicare, so ask about it separately.
Do they see children?
Health centers are generally set up for families and children’s dental coverage is a required Medicaid benefit in every state, so this is usually yes. Minimum ages and whether children are seen on the same days as adults do vary, so ask when booking.
Would a dental school be cheaper?
For a large amount of work, often yes — but a school screens you first, may turn your case down, and takes months rather than weeks. A health center discounts by your income and can usually see you sooner. Our guide to dental school clinics compares the two.
Other Clinics Operated by Harbor Health Services
Harbor Health Services operates 2 other clinics in 2 other communities in Massachusetts. 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
These are straight-line distances. Two clinics a mile apart can have very different waits, so it is worth calling both.
- Upham's Eye and Dental Clinic — Dorchester, less than a mile away
- Upham's Corner Health Center - Business & Human Resources Office — Dorchester, about 1.1 miles away
- SOUTH BOSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER — South Boston, about 1.2 miles away
- DotHouse Health — Dorchester, about 1.2 miles away
Confirmed Payment Options
Income-Based Fees
Call GEIGER - GIBSON COMMUNITY HLTH CTR
Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.
Nearby Affordable Dental Clinics
Community Health Center
Upham's Corner Health Center - Business & Human Resources Office
500 Columbia Rd, Dorchester, MA 02125-2389 1.1 miles away
Community Health Center
SOUTH BOSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER
409 W Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127-2249 1.2 miles away
Community Health Center
DotHouse Health
1353 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester, MA 02122-2987 1.2 miles away
Before you call
