Emergency Dental Care for Everyone in Lincoln

Dental pain can affect all parts of your life. When you can’t eat, sleep, or work without pain, smiling can seem like a thing of the past. And soon, the pain can no longer be ignored. Like any other medical pain, treatment for dental pain should not be delayed. But when your access to dental care and treatment is limited due to lack of insurance, it can feel like your whole life is on hold. 

The truth is you deserve dental care, no matter your situation.

Lack of Dental Care Access 

There are an estimated 30,000 residents in Lincoln who are uninsured or rely on Medicaid or Medicare for dental care. The primary dental providers serving this population are UNMC College of Dentistry, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, and our team at Bluestem Health. Together, these organizations can care for approximately 10,000-12,000 patients each year. This means the remaining 18,000 individuals living in our community go without access to affordable dental care. 

To meet this gap, we created our emergency dental clinic. This clinic serves as a location where patients experiencing oral pain or infection can receive immediate care and relief. Previously, these patients’ only options were the ER or Urgent Care, where they received antibiotics and pain medication, but no permanent solution. Many other dental clinics around Lincoln only perform extractions. 

Because our office accepts Medicaid for dental services, even when many others do not, our services are more important than ever. In fact, more than 80% of Bluestem Health’s dental patients last year were uninsured or on Medicaid. Each of these patients represents an individual who might otherwise have nowhere to turn for essential oral health care due to a lack of access and equity. Bluestem Health’s dental services are often the only resource available to the most vulnerable members of our community. 

A Window Into Your Overall Health

The whole body is connected, so if there’s an issue in your mouth, there’s likely an issue elsewhere in your body. This was the case for one particular patient. During one of Bluestem Health’s Thursday Emergency Dental Clinics, a gentleman arrived with severe pain. We discovered his blood pressure was extremely high during the routine screening. This prevented us from safely addressing his dental pain. We connected him with the free clinic to receive care and medication to manage his blood pressure. A few days later, he returned to us to get the dental care he needed. This story serves as a reminder that taking care of your oral health means taking care of your overall health.

Don’t Suffer through the Pain

Dental problems rarely go away on their own. Sometimes a small cavity can grow into a painful infection. We often see how waiting to get help means more pain and a more complicated treatment later. 

Maybe your symptoms have progressed, but you’re still hesitant to receive help. Here are some signs that it’s time to seek emergency dental care:

• Bleeding in the mouth that doesn’t stop on its own
• Severe tooth pain, unrelieved by over-the-counter painkillers
• Tooth pain accompanied by a fever
• A chipped or knocked-out permanent tooth
• Swelling in the jaw, gums, face, or neck

Emergency dental treatment may involve:

• Root canals
• Teeth Extractions
• Fillings
• Palliative treatments
• Specialty referrals

A Place for All

When patients can find a dental office that accepts Medicaid, they often face months-long waitlists. This situation highlights the significant dental access gap in our community. It is often referred to as a “dental desert.” 

At Bluestem Health, you won’t have to wait months for relief from your dental pain. Every Thursday, patients can come to Bluestem Health’s Walk-in Clinic at our Dental Clinic at Main for emergency dental care from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. No appointment necessary. 

Dental Clinic at Main
1021 N 27th Street, Lincoln, NE
(402) 476-1640

With our sliding-fee discount, we can reduce costs for those who qualify. This discount is available to those with and without insurance. It is based on your income and family size relative to federal poverty guidelines and offers affordable urgent dental care services at lower costs than most dental clinics.

In addition to emergency dental care, we offer:

• Dental examinations
• Dental x-rays
• Preventive dentistry
• Routine cleaning
• Periodontal treatment
• Restorative dentistry

A healthy smile takes one step at a time. Take the first step, our dental care team is ready to help you get back to smiling and living again.