US Dental Help Find Care Near You

Community Health Center

DODSON AVENUE COMM HEALTH CENTER

1200 Dodson Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37406-3214

423-778-2800 Directions Website

DODSON AVENUE COMM HEALTH CENTER is a community health center dental clinic in Chattanooga, TN, operated by Chattanooga Hamilton County Hospital Authority.

The health center is open about 50 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.

Clinic Details

Address1200 Dodson Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37406
Phone423-778-2800
Operated byChattanooga Hamilton County Hospital Authority
ProgramHealth Center Program (federally funded)
Site scheduleFull-Time
Operating calendarYear-Round

Planning Your Visit

1200 Dodson Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37406

The published number is 423-778-2800. 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 Chattanooga Hamilton County Hospital Authority, 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 Tennessee 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 treatment free?

Usually not, though it can come close. Clinics like this one discount by household income and are required to see patients regardless of ability to pay, but a charge normally applies and the lowest band is a nominal fee rather than nothing. Chattanooga Hamilton County Hospital Authority sets its own scale.

Can they do specialist work here?

Providers in more than general dentistry are registered at this address, which is listed further up the page. That does not mean the clinic is taking new patients for those treatments or that they fall inside the discount, so name the treatment when you call.

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.

Is this a federally funded clinic?

Yes, this site operates under the federal Health Center Program, which is what obliges it to discount by household income and to see patients regardless of ability to pay. It does not make the care free, and it does not decide which treatments are offered here.

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.

Will they see me if I still owe them money?

Usually yes for pain and for anything urgent, though a clinic may ask you to agree a plan for the balance before booking routine work. An old balance is worth raising on the phone instead of discovering it at the desk; it is often smaller after a discount is applied than the letter suggests.

Other Clinics Operated by Chattanooga Hamilton County Hospital Authority

This is the only site Chattanooga Hamilton County Hospital Authority operates, which means a single waiting list with no sister clinic to try instead. The nearby clinics listed below are the alternative.

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.

Confirmed Payment Options

Income-Based Fees

Call DODSON AVENUE COMM HEALTH CENTER

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

423-778-2800

Nearby Affordable Dental Clinics

Before you call

Bright and clean modern dental clinic room with advanced dental equipment.
How sliding-scale dental clinics workWho qualifies, and what the discount does and does not cover.
Close-up of a dental impression model showcasing teeth on a white table.
Does Medicaid cover dental care?Adult coverage is a state choice; children are covered everywhere.
Close-up image of dental tools and model teeth for professional dentistry setup.
Finding dental care without insuranceThe three cheaper routes compared.
Top view of calculator, pen, and note pads arranged neatly on a white surface.
What dental work costs when you are paying cashRanges for the common treatments, and what drives them.