The first patient at the free Dentists on Wheels pilot program in Pittsburg feared she needed about $8,000 worth of dental work, but a cavity filling did it.
For Shab Farzaneh, that was a sign all the work she did in setting up Contra Costa County’s first free dental clinic with the help of volunteers was well worth their effort.
“There was an assurance, we were able to give her decent advice,” Farzaneh said of the first patient, who after visiting a private dental practice had fretted about how she couldn’t afford to pay for the recommended work on an income of $2,000 a month. “There was no Doomsday. We’re not going to overdiagnose anyone because we’re not charging anyone.”
That was last fall, and after a successful 11-week trial run, Dentists on Wheels is now collaborating with St. Vincent de Paul to build a permanent dental office at its Family Resource Center at 2210 Gladstone Drive.
The wife of an oral surgeon and former business consultant, Farzaneh began thinking of founding a free dental clinic several years ago after having raised money for Operation Smile to help children with cleft palates. Though many dentists also donated their services to that cause, others who did not have time to go on international missions wanted to know how they could help locally.
The Alamo resident had no answer, and in her research for one she discovered there weren’t any free dental services for the uninsured in the county, although the need for them was “huge.”
Barabara Hunt, development director for St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County, agreed about the need.
“We’re helping those people, those in-between people who are working hard for a living (but don’t qualify for Medi-Cal), and this health care program and dental care program in the United States is broken, and we’re trying to fix it,” she said.
Farzaneh initially considered running a clinic out of an RV, but when the coronavirus pandemic hit, she decided a roomier, permanent spot would be better.
“We pivoted based on our learnings,” Farzaneh said. “So we utilized that time (during the pandemic) to deepen our relationship with St. Vincent De Paul, who was one of our first nonprofits who said ‘we need a dental clinic.’ ”
Claudia Ramirez, St. Vincent de Paul’s executive director, said the nonprofit also had long wanted to help provide people with low- or no-cost dental services. For several years it partnered with two clinics that accepted Medi-Cal but neither offered free services and many patients had no dental insurance, so St. Vincent de Paul would pay for what was needed through donations.
When they learned Dentists on Wheels was trying to open a clinic, St. Vincent de Paul leaders were happy to give it a trial run, Ramirez said. In the meantime, it has raised $100,000 through private and Catholic Diocese of Oakland donations to build the 600-square-foot clinic.
“It’s such a key thing because we have all had dental pain at one point in time or another and we all know it is no fun,” she said.
Farzaneh said she also learned that many people lose good teeth because they choose to have them extracted to stop the pain rather than pay for expensive root canals and crowns, which can run around $2,000.
“They’re missing functionality for the rest of their lives,” Farzaneh said. “And so we’re wondering how can we provide a higher service than just extraction?”
Farzaneh went on to collaborate with one of her former Operation Smile volunteers and a group of pre-dental school students, who helped analyze costs and dental clinic practices. The volunteers also wrote grants, sought donations and did other support work for the future clinic.
In addition to raising $35,000, Farzaneh’s team amassed some $400,000 worth of dental equipment to fill their new clinic.
An earlier chance meeting with an old friend, Dr. Jeannie C. Shimane, would lead Farzaneh to secure one of her first volunteer dentists.
Shimane had been in private practice and was transitioning to public dentistry, working in San Leandro and Novato, but she said she wanted to volunteer as well.
“I have the skills that I can help these underserved people and they’re so appreciative, I figure why not?” she said. “I get a lot out of it too because I don’t feel like I’m doing anything that special but they just need someone who can do basic dentistry, doesn’t even have to be like high-end treatment plans.”
Through the pilot program, Shimane said she treated everyone from working residents without insurance to the unhoused, screening them, doing X-rays and basic treatment.
Clinic director Dr. Neda Oromchian of Danville, a retired pediatric dentist with more than 30 years experience, refers patients to a list of dentists and specialists from throughout the Bay Area who have agreed to offer their services for free while the nonprofit pays for the lab fees.
“I have a lot of connections with the community, a good reputation, a lot of good friends,” Oromchian said.
Oromchian stressed the importance of caring for one’s teeth.
“It is really part of the whole health system, whole body, mind, kind of thing because we see first signs of certain cancers in the mouth; inflammation and gingivitis also are signs sometimes for certain immune diseases and things like that,” she said. “When they are not being taken care of, that means that their health is also getting jeopardized.”
Oromchian said that while many of the first patients were referred by St. Vincent de Paul, the clinic will be open to anyone without insurance who falls below the poverty level, including the undocumented.
“I just feel like, overall, every person in the world deserves to have the same quality of life, honestly,” Farzaneh added. “And regardless of what country you’re born, in, which family you’re born, it shouldn’t dictate how you can live. And if there are fortunate people that can give to people who are less fortunate, why shouldn’t they?”
So far, 150 residents have registered and are being screened for services, Farzaneh said.
When construction is completed, the clinic will house three dental chairs and provide service once a week at the beginning.
“We’re counting on people’s donations, asking everybody to really support us,” she said.
For more information, go to www.dentistsonwheels.org.
