BELFAST — For many people dental care is something taken for granted, a biannual annoyance suffered for the greater dental good. For others, dental care is anything but routine.

With 3,600 residents per one dentist, Waldo County is a federally designated underserved area for dental care, according to Joy Osterhout, Regional Director of Community Health and Wellness for Waldo County General Hospital (WCGH) and Pen Bay Medical Center.

Waldo County reportedly has half the dentists per capita as the Maine state average. In July 2013, WCGH decided to launch a program to combat the issue of lack of available and affordable dental care in the area. The hospital created Waldo County Dental Care (WCDC) to serve community members who would be otherwise unable to afford treatment and preventative care.

In order to be eligible, patients must be at least 18, live in Waldo County, and must not have seen a dentist within the last 12 months, in addition to a demonstrated financial need. Since it opened, WCDC has treated 1,352 low-income, uninsured patients.

“It’s really affordable, and the word [about WCDC] got around in the community and we ended up with many on a wait list,” Osterhout said.

Though there continues to be a wait list, the numbers have already decreased markedly. In August the group had a wait list of more than 150, while there are only 37 patients currently awaiting services. There are presently 154 engaged in restorative treatment, which can sometimes take anywhere from 2-6 visits to complete.

With limited manpower, the clinic has to prioritize in which the order patients are seen, with those suffering complicating medical factors given top priority.

“We have to prioritize care because we can’t have someone whose health may be affected [by not receiving treatment] because they weren’t first,” Osterhout explained.

Conditions including diabetes can be exacerbated by certain dental issues.

Patients pay on a sliding scale based on income, with the average copay ranging from $20-$30. The copays for some services, such as dentures, is half of what the clinic itself has to pay.

With the costs of running the clinic in the hundred of thousands, the $100,000 WCGH has committed to giving the clinic each year stretches only so far.

The group relies largely on grants for funding the remainder of the costly program.

“Our grant writer is very busy,” Osterhout said.

One recent grant came from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, which donated $5,000 to the group Jan. 3. Other donations have come from the Maine Women’s Fund and United Mid-Coast Charities, whcih each donated $10,000. Athenahealth donated $5,000 last summer, and the Maine Health Access Foundation gave the group $25,000. Other donors have included the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation and the Doree Taylor Charitable Foundation.

Part of that budget goes to the staff of WCDC, who Osterhout calls “incredibly devoted."

The clinic currently employs three part time dentists, two dental hygienists, two dental assistants and one part time receptionist.

Up until Sept. 2016, the dental clinic had one fulltime dentist, which is something they are actively seeking now. The prior fulltime dentist, who has since opened his own practice, has continued working with the group part time. Another of the part time dentists is a longtime local dentist who came out of retirement to assist WCDC while they hunt for someone willing to service Waldo County full time.

“Right now we’re at capacity. We’re looking to hire a full time dentist who can provide flexibility for us to have a few Saturday clinics, as well as evening clinics to make services more accessible,” Osterhout said.

The clinic also has student dentists from the University of New England who come to the clinic to work for 12 week rotations.

“It allows for up to eight more patients a day [to be seen],” Osterhout said of the student dentists.

Despite having more clients than they do staff to serve them, those who work at WCDC remain dedicated, with some present from the clinic’s start.

“Sometimes they have difficult days, but they love what they do,” Osterhout said.

It is a love both felt and returned by the community they serve. There are many staff stories about the ways the clinic has affected individual lives.

Osterhout included several success stories, including the treatment of a 74-year-old woman who had one of her front teeth knocked out at age 14. She had been unable to replace the tooth until 2014, when she was treated by the clinic. The woman said that her wish had been to be able to smile while taking a picture with her grandchildren — a wish granted by the WCDC.

Another success story is that of a 28-year-old man, who had fractured every single tooth due to severe seizures. The clinic helped him find an oral surgeon capable of removing his teeth, after which he received dentures. The man recently shared with the clinic that he has since been able to get a job and has gotten engaged.

While the number of patients served is impressive, it is the individual stories that best demonstrate the good that Waldo County Dental Care does.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com