Taylor, Community Dental Clinic helps underserved

November 12, 2018 | 3:00 am

Updated November 11, 2018 | 9:25 pm

Dr. Brandon Taylor and his wife Kimberly at Community Dental Clinic. | Photo by AP Imagery

The Community Dental Clinic, complete with a board of directors, was established in 2009 to serve the uninsured, low-income and Medicaid recipients of the community.

Dr. Brandon Taylor, his wife Kimberly and a dental staff relocated their dental clinic to a larger location to better serve the needs of the underserved in the greater Owensboro area. Since 2009, nearly 14,000 community members have received dental care at this clinic.

Though all services provided at the Community Dental Clinic have a fee, the fees are greatly reduced and are set on a tiered payment system with most services being heavily discounted.

The dental care provided is possible by the financial support of this community. Funding of the Community Dental Clinic is comprised of grantors in Owensboro/Daviess County by 75 percent, and 25 percent comes from outside entities.

The Taylors firmly believe that “dentistry is (our) ministry,” and the dental services include cleanings, exams, radiographs, fillings, sealants, limited root canal therapy and limited extractions, scaling and root planing. Other services are provided on a case-by-case basis.

Dr. Taylor believes that intervention plays a key role in dentistry, so he offers dental screenings to all twenty public schools in the city and county school systems as well as hiring an additional dentist to meet the growing needs.

Dental issues are the number one reason students miss school, according to  Community Dental Clinic data.  The importance of early dental care is emphasized by the data collected in office by the Community Dental Clinic.

Since 2009, 2126 people aged 20 to 29 had extractions at the clinic, and 2344 people aged 30 to 39 had extractions at the Community Dental Clinic alone. These staggering numbers reaffirm that dental care and education begin in childhood.

The impact of Dr. Taylor and his clinic are seen through a patient’s experience. One patient, now in high school, had a skateboarding accident as a child. His family brought him to the Community Dental Clinic, t and he didn’t have to be embarrassed by the mouth injuries from his fall. He now has aspirations to become a dentist because of the help he received at the Community Dental Clinic.

For more information on fees and services, or to make a donation, contact the Community Dental Clinic at (270) 691-6205.

 

 

November 12, 2018 | 3:00 am

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