In a collaborative effort to address the dental care needs of underserved youth, Mainely Teeth, a non-profit mobile dental clinic, recently joined forces with The Landing Place (TLP), a comprehensive youth program under the Knox County Homeless Coalition. The event, which took place earlier this month, featured Mainely Teeth’s mobile dental clinic on-site, complemented by the expertise of Dr. Robert Grassi from the Knox Dental Clinic in Rockport.
Mainely Teeth’s dedicated staff delivered vital dental services, including cleanings, x-rays, assessments, referrals, and non-invasive dentistry such as fluoride treatments. The beneficiaries of this initiative were the youth at The Landing Place, many of whom had not received regular dental care for years.
The collaboration arose from a recognition of the challenges faced by TLP youth, a significant number of whom lack access to regular dental care. This is a widespread issue in Maine, where quality dental care remains financially elusive for a considerable portion of the population. Notably, traditional dental practices in the Rockland area do not accept MaineCare, the state’s insurance plan for low-income residents, except for the Knox Dental Clinic in Rockport.
Dr. Robert Grassi, a full-time dentist at Knox Dental Clinic, collaborated with Mainely Teeth at The Landing Place, offering assessments, x-rays, cleanings, and advanced care such as fillings to address the pressing oral health needs of the youth.
Rich Smalley, MSW, executive assistant at Knox County Homeless Coalition, expressed gratitude for the collaboration in a recent KCHC news release, stating, “Not only did our youth receive compassionate and extremely friendly dental care, but we have created a wonderful collaboration with the founders of Mainely Teeth, Amber and Michael Lombardi. We even discussed plans for them to visit us on a regular basis at The Landing Place, The Hospitality House, and even at our new housing development at Talbot Avenue in Rockland.”
For more information about the Knox County Homeless Coalition, visit homehelphope.org.
To learn more about Mainely Teeth and their mission to provide community access to quality dental care, visit mainelyteeth.org.
The Knox County Homeless Coalition strives to break cycles of poverty and homelessness through strengths-based programs and services, assisting individuals and families in achieving sustainable independence and providing the next generation with a foundation for a hopeful future. By addressing root causes such as the lack of affordable housing, the organization has, since its inception, assisted over 2500 people and found permanent housing for more than 1100, with nearly half of those served being children and youth.
Mainely Teeth, as a non-profit mobile dental clinic, is committed to breaking down barriers to oral health care and providing access to quality, compassionate dental care for individuals, families, and communities. At the core of their mission is the belief that quality oral health care should be a basic human right, not a privilege.
