Red Deer dental clinic helping low-income, uninsured patients

A public health dental clinic opened in Red Deer is growing in demand. 

The clinic, which opened in June, has seen almost 150 patients. 

Many of them struggle with addictions and mental health, said Dr. Heidi Rabie, the chief of public health dental clinics in Alberta and the medical lead. 

Treating dental problems can help people avoid sinking deeper into addictions, she said. 

When a person feels severe dental pain, Rabie said, they might be inclined to seek medication on the street, "with disastrous outcomes."

The clinic collaborates with hospitals, community services, mental health and addictions services, and shelters, which refer patients to the clinic, Rabie said. 

Uninsured individuals, she said, can have high needs because their access to dental care is limited.

Due to financial constraints, they tend to delay treatment, even if they are experiencing pain or have infections, she said. 

"We tend to see a population that is fairly high needs, and we are providing a very basic care," she said.  

The clinic has performed some 300 extractions and 300 fillings since its opening — on average, two extractions and two fillings per patient, Rabie said. 

She points out that the clinic is aimed at preventative treatment. 

"That two fillings is a prevention of the next two extractions," Rabie said. 

Dental care can be really important in a person's journey to recovery from addictions, she said. 

She recalled one man in particular, whose first request after completing rehab was to get his teeth fixed.