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Community Health Center

Van Buren County Health Department Community Health Center

907 Old McMinnville St, Spencer, TN 38585-3200

931-946-2438 Directions

Van Buren County Health Department Community Health Center is a community health center dental clinic in Spencer, TN, operated by Tennessee Department of Health, which runs 9 clinics in Tennessee.

The health center is open about 42.5 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.

Clinic Details

Address907 Old McMinnville St, Spencer, TN 38585
Phone931-946-2438
Operated byTennessee Department of Health
ProgramHealth Center Program (federally funded)
Site scheduleFull-Time
Operating calendarYear-Round

Planning Your Visit

907 Old McMinnville St, Spencer, TN 38585

The published number is 931-946-2438. 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. Tennessee Department of Health sets its own income bands, so a quote from another clinic tells you nothing about this one. 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 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

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.

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 the building accessible if I use a wheelchair?

Federally supported facilities are subject to accessibility requirements, but the practical questions — whether the dental chair can be transferred to, whether the accessible entrance is the one you would arrive at — are worth asking directly rather than assuming from the front door.

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. Tennessee Department of Health sets its own scale.

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.

What happens at a first appointment?

Usually an examination with X-rays, sometimes a cleaning, and normally no treatment beyond that — anything found is scheduled for a later visit. Those items are billed separately, which is where unexpected first-visit charges come from. Ask for a written treatment plan with itemized costs before agreeing to anything, so you can stage the work over time if you need to.

Size of the Dental Service

Tennessee Department of Health provided 5,592 dental visits and 2,896 dental patients in 2025, with the equivalent of 13.1 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 Tennessee Department of Health

Tennessee Department of Health operates 8 other clinics in 7 other communities in Tennessee. 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

Measured straight-line rather than by road. Availability varies enough between them that a second call is usually worth making.

Confirmed Payment Options

Income-Based Fees

Call Van Buren County Health Department Community Health Center

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

931-946-2438

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Before you call

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How sliding-scale dental clinics workWho qualifies, and what the discount does and does not cover.
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Does Medicaid cover dental care?Adult coverage is a state choice; children are covered everywhere.
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