Contributor Andre Greene
A 2019 study found that only 60% of Bexar County residents reported seeing a dentist in the past year. Lack of adequate insurance or knowledge of local opportunities can prevent someone from seeking dental care. Additional barriers include the potential loss of wages, missed school, a day’s meals, or incurring significant costs like transportation or childcare.
Calling 2-1-1 or visiting 211Texas.org is an excellent first step in identifying dental services in your area. The online locator searches by zip code, or you can use the guided search to find dental programs in your area. Assistance is available in more than 90 languages, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Below are a few opportunities for low cost or free dental care in San Antonio:
- San Antonio District Dental Society has a list of Community Clinics throughout San Antonio that provide clinical services to uninsured and low income children, adolescents, and adults.
- The University of Texas Health Science Center-SA Dental School provides general dental hygiene care and specialized treatment at different price points. They also have mobile clinics.
- Texas Dental Association Smiles Foundation’s (TDASF) mission is to improve access to dental care to the underserved of Texas and educate the public about the importance of oral health.
- San Antonio Christian Dental provides a wide range of dental services for low-income and homeless persons in San Antonio and Bexar County. If you have general questions or need to schedule a dental appointment, please visit sachristiandental.org/free-dental-clinic.
- Texas Mission of Mercy (TMOM) has mobile dental clinic events that deliver pain-relieving dental care at no cost to low income Texans. This program provides the most common dental treatments.
The last time TMOM held an event in San Antonio was in November, where 248 patients were treated and $229,584.41 of care was donated, equaling $933.27 Donated Care per Patient.
