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Community Health Center

Sea Mar CHC - Tacoma S. Cedar St.

3712 S Cedar St, Tacoma, WA 98409-5715

253-682-2860 Directions Website

Sea Mar CHC - Tacoma S. Cedar St. is a community health center dental clinic in Tacoma, WA, operated by Sea Mar Community Health Centers, which runs 33 clinics in Washington.

The health center is open about 40 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.

Clinic Details

Address3712 S Cedar St, Tacoma, WA 98409
Phone253-682-2860
Operated bySea Mar Community Health Centers
ProgramHealth Center Program (federally funded)

Dental Services

Service and coverage information recorded for this clinic includes:

  • Medicaid

Treatments offered and insurance accepted change over time, and services not listed here may still be available. Contact the clinic to confirm what is currently offered.

Costs and Coverage

What you pay here is worked out from your household income and family size, not read off a price list. The bands are set by Sea Mar Community Health Centers rather than nationally, which is why prices differ between two clinics on the same scale. Ask for your band in writing before agreeing to a course of treatment. Our guide to applying for the discount lists the documents to bring.

This clinic has a Medicaid billing registration on file, which is a good sign but not a guarantee for your particular plan. Adult dental coverage under Washington Medicaid is decided at state level and has changed more than once in most states; children’s dental coverage is required everywhere. The Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.

Planning Your Visit

3712 S Cedar St, Tacoma, WA 98409

The published number is 253-682-2860. Where an organization runs several sites this often lands at a central desk, so name the clinic and say the appointment is dental.

The call is worth making for: 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, and what to bring for the sliding fee application.

Common Questions

Can I be seen without insurance?

Yes. Being uninsured is the ordinary case at a clinic like this, not an exception, and it is much of the reason the sliding scale exists. Bring income documentation if you have it and ask what they accept if you do not.

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.

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 do not have a phone for them to call back on?

Tell them at the point of booking and ask how they will contact you — some clinics will use an email address, a shelter or a relative’s number. Missing a call back about an appointment is a common way to lose a slot that was already booked.

Does Washington Medicaid cover adult dental work?

That is decided at state level and has changed more than once in most states, ranging from comprehensive to emergency extractions only. Dental coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid is a required benefit everywhere. Our Medicaid dental page covers how to check where your state stands now.

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.

Other Clinics Operated by Sea Mar Community Health Centers

Sea Mar Community Health Centers operates 32 other clinics in 23 other communities in Washington. A central scheduling line can often say which of them has the shortest wait, and it is not always the nearest one. 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

Straight-line distances. The nearest clinic is not reliably the one that can see you soonest, so try a couple.

Confirmed Payment Options

Income-Based FeesMedicaid

Call Sea Mar CHC - Tacoma S. Cedar St.

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

253-682-2860

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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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Finding dental care without insuranceThe three cheaper routes compared.
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