Powerful words from community members at our Dental Therapy Open House

On December 2, we hosted Community Health & Empowerment: A Virtual Dental Therapy "Open House”, an online event for community members and stakeholders to learn about the oral health care crisis in Washington and hear directly from dental therapists about their role in the dental care team. We were joined by community members impacted by lack of access to dental care, health advocates, dentists, dental hygienists, educators, students, and Washington residents curious to learn more about dental therapy.

Right now, over two million people in Washington live in an area without enough dental providers. For people living in low-income, rural communities and for communities of color, the barriers to getting access to care are especially high.

During the Open House, Alina Swart, who serves on the steering committee for the Governor’s Poverty Reduction Workgroup shared, “our insurance wouldn’t pay for even basic cleanings or anything like that, so I now have 6 missing teeth. When you get a cavity the only thing they would pay for was pulling it. They wouldn’t pay for cleaning, they wouldn’t pay for anything but pulling a tooth. So I’m kind of mad, I’m 40 years old and I’m missing a bunch of teeth.” She later added that “finding providers who accepted what little insurance would cover are so few and far between that it’s an added barrier to getting decent dental care.”

This year, we surveyed over 65 people – and counting! – across Washington about their access to dental care. What we’ve heard consistently is that it’s nearly impossible for many to find a dentist who accepts their insurance, and if they do, the dentist’s office is too far from where they live. We also hear that even with insurance, dental care is too expensive, and many must prioritize other needs like paying rent and bills, and expenses that go toward their children’s wellbeing.

During the online Open House, we heard from three practicing dental therapists; Sarah Chagnon from the Swinomish Dental Clinic in La Conner, Tat-Sem-Maat (also known by her given name, Angela Johnson) from the Lummi Dental Clinic near Bellingham, and Arielle Cawston from the Lake Roosevelt Community Health Center in Inchelium.

Tat-Sem-Maat at the Lummi Dental Clinic near Bellingham.

They shared their journey to becoming trained dental therapists and what it’s like to provide care in the community they know. Tat-Sem-Maat said, “when I see toddler-aged kids, I’m able to let a rapport develop. I can take the time to sit with the kid, or play with the kid if they are a little bit nervous before getting treatment in the chair. I like that usually we’ll develop some trust and – although I’m not a dentist, I’m a dental provider – I’ve had kids say ‘can you be my dentist forever?’"

Since joining her community’s dental care team, Arielle has witnessed significant changes for her patients: “We do increase the access to care, we do help expedite treatment plans getting completed. The key to that is that patients are cavity-free, they’re pain-free, and now they have a little bit more trust because we have the opportunity to spend a little bit more time with our patients.”

With the Dental Therapy Task Force report delivered to the legislature on December 1 and the next legislative session just around the corner, now is the time to contact your state lawmakers and tell them why you can’t keep waiting for dental therapists to be allowed to serve your community. Take a moment to e-mail them now: https://bit.ly/WA-DTnow