“There are a lot of Mainers in need of dental care, and there are not enough places for them to go,” says Karen Bazemore, RDH, IPDH, BSDH, director of Oral Health Services at the Jessie Albert Dental and Orthodontic Center in Bath.

It is especially true for those with limited incomes who rely on MaineCare or have no insurance coverage at all. Bazemore says that the Jessie Albert Dental and Orthodontic Center, a program of Catholic Charities Maine, is one of only a handful of practices statewide that accepts MaineCare, which is Maine’s Medicaid program.

“A private practice dentist is not required to treat a certain number of Medicaid patients, and most private practice dentists don’t accept Medicaid patients at all,” says Bazemore.

Bazemore cites several reasons for that, including the paperwork involved in getting pre-approval for care, reimbursement rates that have risen recently but are still lower than what private insurance companies pay, and the challenge of sometimes having patients who are unaccustomed to regularly making and keeping appointments. She stresses, however, that access to dental care is critical.

“These folks deserve dental health care just as much as everybody else, so it’s important that we keep our doors open so that we can help them,” she says. “Dental care is overall health care. Everything is connected in your body, so it’s important. The oral bacteria that people have living in their mouths can travel to their bloodstream and cause diabetes and a lot of other different health issues.”

The Jessie Albert center has been serving people since the 1970s. It was started by a woman named Jessie Albert, who was having difficulty finding affordable dental care for her children, but it later became part of Catholic Charities Maine.

“It is part of Catholic Charities’ mission to serve the underserved,” says Bazemore.

Jessie Albert serves an average of 5,000 patients each year, providing a wide range of services from routine cleanings to the latest in orthodonture. The center takes most forms of insurance.

Unfortunately, the center is so busy, it isn’t currently accepting new patients. Bazemore says they are seeking a dental hygienist to replace one who left, but finding one has been difficult, something the center also experienced when its longtime orthodontist retired. It was only after a seven-month, nationwide search that they were able to hire Dr. Adriana Parra, who was living in New York.

“I’ve witnessed the great need for orthodontic services in this community already. For that, I’m extremely happy to be here and help relieve this demand. I’m committed to providing the best quality of service in a compassionate and caring manner,” Dr. Parra says.

“She has been fantastic,” says Bazemore. “Patients and staff both love her.”

Bazemore says the camaraderie among the workers at Jessie Albert, along with the valuable service it provides, is why she has stayed there for 20 years, even though she could earn more money elsewhere.

“When you hear somebody say that a hygienist or dentist was fabulous and that this place is great, you just know that you helped somebody,” she says. “Somebody is leaving here smiling because of you.”