Introduction
Since its inception in 1988, Colonial Dental Lab has been proud to participate in the Dental Donated program that offers free dental care to people who are not able to afford it. We have fabricated crowns, bridges, full dentures, partials, and even implant supported crowns.
The DDS program started in New Jersey in 1988 and operates in all 50 states. The basic premise is that many dentists and dental laboratories are willing to treat some patients in need at no cost, but often don’t find the right patient or are concerned that they will be faced with a snowballing number of patients needing care. The DDS program helps individual dentists and dental laboratories to provide services to those who need it most according to their wishes. The DDS program identifies willing dentists, clarifies the type and number of patients the dentist will see, and screens and refers patients. The DDS program also provides follow-up during the course of treatment to be sure services are rendered, identify and resolve potential problems, and coordinate laboratory donation or reimbursement if prosthetic is needed.
The Patient
The patients have been screened by the Coordinator and deemed eligible for services according to preset eligibility criteria. This screening may involve talking with a physician, parent, or social workers, in addition to the patient. The average intake process involves 30 to 45 minutes of telephone conversation. We may also request medical verification and may contact the dentist whom the patient saw previously.
The eligibility criteria are straightforward. Qualified applicants must be permanently disabled, critically ill, or elderly. And each person’s condition must be severe enough to prohibit or significantly limit gainful employment. In addition, patients cannot afford dental care on their own nor have any other resources available to get treatment. We also require that applicants needing dental services are more extensive than just a cleaning and check-up.
Lab Work
Once a DDS dentist determines that prosthetic work is needed, the Coordinator discusses with them the service needed and their preference of laboratory to do the work. The coordinator will try to match the case with the dentist’s usual laboratory.
If you are interested in volunteering as a participating dentist in this worthwhile program, contact Shanda Bell at the Dental Lifeline Network at 800.829.4619 or Fax: 732-821-3056. Also see us at https://dentallifeline.org/. eMail Shanda at: sbell@dentallifeline.org
