Community Health Center

MedNorth Health Center

917 N 4th St, Wilmington, NC 28401-5615

910-343-0270 Directions Website

MedNorth Health Center is a community health center dental clinic in Wilmington, NC, operated by New Hanover Community Health Center, which runs 2 clinics in North Carolina.

The health center is open about 58 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.

Clinic Details

Address	917 N 4th St, Wilmington, NC 28401
Phone	910-343-0270
Operated by	New Hanover Community Health Center
Program	Health Center Program (federally funded)

Planning Your Visit

917 N 4th St, Wilmington, NC 28401

The published number is 910-343-0270. 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 New Hanover Community Health Center 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 North Carolina 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

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.

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 cannot get there?

Ask whether the clinic has transport assistance or can tell you what local programs exist — many health centers help with this and it is rarely advertised. Your county health department is the other place that knows.

Why was I billed for three things at one visit?

Because an examination, X-rays and a cleaning are separate items, priced separately, even when they happen in the same half hour. This is the most common unpleasant surprise at a first visit. Ask for the price of each before you book, and ask whether the discount applies to all three or only to some.

How large is the dental program?

No dental activity figures have been published for this organization in a form we can tie to it, so the size of the program here is unknown. Asking how many days a week a dentist is in gets you further than asking how big the clinic is.

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 New Hanover Community Health Center

New Hanover Community Health Center operates one other clinic elsewhere in North Carolina. 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 straight-line, not driving. Waiting times differ sharply between neighbors, so call more than one.

MedNorth Health Center — Wilmington, about 1.6 miles away
GOSHEN MEDICAL CENTER - CAROLINA BEACH — Carolina Beach, about 12.2 miles away
CommWell Health of Penderlea — Willard, about 30.6 miles away
CommWell Health of Ocean Isle Beach - Dental — Ocean Isle Beach, about 36.1 miles away

Confirmed Payment Options

Income-Based Fees

Call MedNorth Health Center

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

910-343-0270

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Community Health Center