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<\/span>While dental care is routine for many, visits to the dentist tend to decrease as people age. With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, seniors are the fastest growing, high-need population in health care, and the problem is even more acute with dental care. Although it is a known gateway to systemic wellness, dental health is overlooked and under-covered. One in 5 seniors have untreated cavities, 1 in 4 have no teeth at all, and 70 percent of seniors have no dental insurance.<\/span><\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The American Dental Association\u2019s Health Policy Institute states that approximately 67 percent of low-income seniors did not visit a dentist in the last year. The top three barriers to dental care are high cost, transportation and lack of providers accepting Denti-Cal. Seniors attending the center live primarily on less than $850 a month and often have to choose between paying for basic necessities like rent, food or medications, making dental care a lower priority. Some seniors even believe it is no longer necessary to visit the dentist as they get older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPoor dental health is a silent epidemic for seniors,\u201d said Becerra. \u201cResearch shows there are links between tooth infections and chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease, which can be especially devastating to older adults. What happens in the mouth doesn\u2019t stay in the mouth. When treating the root causes of dental pain, we aim to decrease other types of disease and infection that would affect other parts of the body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Becerra became a dentist because she had a deep desire to help others. Caring deeply about alleviating people in pain, dentistry was a natural fit for her as it allows her to be empathetic and artistic at the same time. However, before helping to establish the nonprofit dental center for seniors, she was in private practice. Eight years ago, she was traveling in a single-engine plane that failed in the air and she lived through what she thought were going to be the last minutes of her life. After landing safely, she decided to move from private practice and devote her time to a larger cause that will leave a legacy. Together with philanthropists Gary and Mary West, she was able to create a model for holistic patient-centered care that aims at being replicated in other California communities and across the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The senior dental center links high-quality and affordable oral health care with a suite of nutrition, case management and wellness services offered at Serving Seniors\u2019 Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center, creating a one-of-a-kind, integrated community-based system of care for older adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before treatment can begin, patients participate in a comprehensive health assessment and attend an oral health education workshop. The workshops give patients the knowledge and tools to develop healthy habits and self-care and also help the senior dental center team understand the overall needs of their patients. Once in treatment, Dr. Becerra and her team use state-of-the-art technology, including the American Dental Association\u2019s Chairside Instructor app for the iPad, to show patients what is happening in their mouths and what the prescribed treatment will involve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVisuals are key for our patients as they are clear and explanatory and can be used across languages,\u201d Becerra said. \u201cThis is important given our diverse patient population and also the severity of the cases \u2014 some seniors need root canals, others need tooth extractions or new denture work. We are also able to detect signs of oral cancer early and can provide treatment recommendations in alignment with medical professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Patients come from throughout San Diego County, not just from Downtown San Diego where the center is located. The majority of patients seen at the senior dental center are eligible for Denti-Cal, the dental program within California\u2019s Medicaid (Medi-Cal) program. The senior dental center team helps patients navigate the Denti-Cal system and also provides services based on a sliding fee scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Patients like Jeralene Taylor, a military veteran and a resident of Lemon Grove. She needed dental work and was encouraged to come to the Gary and Mary West Senior Dental Center by a woman that lives in her building. Becerra and her team had to be resourceful to complete a treatment plan that involved removal of some complex non-functional implants that were causing her pain. Parts of the non-functional implants were failing, and she was unable to afford the extractions. Taylor was limited in what she could eat and had opted to not to smile anymore. She also needed to have some cavities filled to be ready to receive a full and lower partial set of dentures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe treatment has changed my life,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cI simply couldn\u2019t afford it and can now eat things I couldn\u2019t eat before, and I now have a clean and healthy mouth. I can speak, and I can even smile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taylor found such great benefit in her dental journey that she is now an oral health ambassador encouraging other seniors to get checked and to receive help for their dental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSan Diego does not have a dental school, which typically provides a safety net for low-income individuals to receive oral health care,\u201d Becerra said. \u201cWe are proud to be a part of the expanding safety net making San Diego a hub for dental innovation, which includes the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic and the Veteran\u2019s Village. By focusing on seniors, the Gary and Mary West Senior Dental Center is working to ensure that this rapidly growing demographic receives the care they need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Tina Beck is a dental specialist from Scripps Ranch who volunteers her time at the senior dental center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs a periodontist, I have a lot of senior patients, and I know many cannot afford high-quality dental care and must resort to community clinics or emergency hospital care where they are simply treated to prevent life-threatening infections,\u201d Beck said. \u201cIn contrast, the GMWSDC provides high-quality care, in a modern facility, by a highly knowledgeable and caring team. I am proud to be able to serve our aging population to help them improve their quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Becerra wants to help more San Diego County seniors access oral health care but she cannot do it alone. That is why the senior dental center established an Oral Health Peer Ambassador Program, which allows the center to add to their continuum of holistic services and extends the center\u2019s successful dental education workshops outside of the classroom into a familiar environment \u2013 the main floor of the Serving Seniors\u2019 GMWSDC. The pilot program began training ambassadors in August, with outreach that commenced in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe ambassadors are patients of the senior dental center, who have completed treatment and can speak to their experience. They also received training to answer questions about how to access dental services, how to maintain a healthy mouth, oral hygiene adaptive aids and products, and the importance of seeing a dentist regularly,\u201d Becerra said. \u201cThrough learning and discussing issues with their peers, seniors can empower themselves to maintain a healthy mouth at home and take the first step to making a dental appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The senior dental center recently added a new full-time managing dentist to the team, who joins Becerra and Dr. Vicki Petropoulos, a board-certified prosthodontist, and the rest of the team in providing care to senior patients. Sharilyn Moniz, DDS, is a full-time dentist who joined the team in September 2018. She is a practicing general dentist of 15 years with experience in hospitals, private practice, corporate dentistry, and community health clinics. She has found her niche in community health dentistry, where her primary focus is improving the patient\u2019s oral health by helping to prevent and treat all oral related disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Individuals, businesses, and licensed dental professionals can all support the nonprofit senior dental center. In addition to financial donations to support center operations and also direct services for seniors, businesses can sponsor the education workshops and ambassador program. Licensed dental specialists can assist Drs. Becerra, Petropoulos and Moniz to see patients who need advanced treatments. <\/em><\/strong>Volunteer specialists like Dr. Beck donate their time and skills on some Fridays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love that I get to provide much-needed quality dental services to the underserved in our community, alongside the kindest of dentists, hygienists, and supportive staff,\u201d Beck said. \u201cIt is a wonderful experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s been an amazing two years since we opened our doors. The need is great to keep seniors healthy and independent \u2013 and to put a smile on their faces where for years there may have been none is priceless\u201d Becerra said. \u201cOur mission-centered work relies on our collaborative partners, volunteers, and donations from the public.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n