Dientes offers comprehensive specialty care for patients who previously had to leave the county and wait several months to access services, because there was no endodontist or oral surgeon in Santa Cruz County that accepted Medi-Cal. Through our Specialty Care Program, adults and children can receive root canals, extractions, and other surgical procedures from an oral surgeon and endodontist.

Our Dientes Cares Program focuses on making oral health care available to all, especially for low-income, uninsured patients. For those patients who do not have dental insurance, Dientes offers a sliding scale fee (based on proof of income).

Our Outreach Program eliminates transportation as a barrier to care for underserved Santa Cruz County residents at many venues, including schools, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and our one-chair Outreach Clinic at Housing Matters in Santa Cruz.

Our partnerships provide patients who might not otherwise get access to dental services to the treatment they need.

At our outreach sites, our staff delivers oral health evaluations including x-rays, and procedures such as cleanings and fluoride varnish. Those patients who require more complex care are referred back to our clinic.

Dientes provides oral health education and preventive services in six school districts (Pajaro Valley Unified, Live Oak, San Lorenzo Valley, Soquel Unified, Santa Cruz City & Santa Cruz County Office of Education) at 30+ schools. The program has been a huge success since its inception in 2009.

The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of California, awarded Dientes Community Dental Care and Salud Para La Gente membership as the Senior Oral Health Coalition Program. The multi-year program launched in April 2022 to address the oral health crisis among older adults in the U.S. Our coalition promotes the connection between oral health and overall health, improve access and create greater equity in the care and treatment older adults receive.