I’ve been a dentist in King County for over nine years. My colleagues and I across the state continue to see patients come through the doors of our offices with conditions that could have been prevented with proper care and treatment. This is a critical issue, and one that affects our entire community. Dental problems that go untreated can worsen diabetes, lead to the spreading of infections or heart malfunctions and, in pregnant women, cause low birth weight for their babies. Dental emergencies are one of the top reasons the uninsured are rushed to the ER, often times for issues that were worsened by lack of routine care and could have been prevented with regular dental visits. As doctors of dentistry, we know that oral healthcare is essential for our complete physical health, and is something everyone needs and deserves.

My colleagues and I want all Washingtonians to have access to high-quality and affordable care. While there are a myriad of reasons beyond the control of dentists for access problems, we’re working to fix the problem one patient at a time. Dentists across the state volunteer thousands of hours annually in charitable clinics. We practice in dental vans to provide free care in rural and underserved areas across the state. We are partnering with schools, community health clinics and service clubs to provide care to needy and low-income populations. Many of our members practice full time in the community clinic setting, providing direct access to care for those most in need.

The state’s only dental school at the University of Washington plays an important role as well in providing care to underserved populations. Every year, the School of Dentistry provides $2.4 million in uncompensated care to thousands of patients in its clinics, and dental students learn and volunteer at more than 15 community sites statewide. The School of Dentistry was the first in the country to create a dedicated clinic for patients with disabilities and operates an urgent care clinic that serves several thousand patients a year.

Members of the Seattle King County Dental Society are also involved in numerous charitable activities to provide care for those in need. The Donated Dental Service program provides free dental care to disabled, elderly or medically compromised individuals who cannot afford necessary treatment nor get public aid. Since 2000, the Donated Dental Service program has provided over $2 million worth of free treatment.

The Seattle-King County Dental Foundation has awarded more than $750,000 in grants to organizations throughout King County that work to expand access to dental services, including providing dental equipment to low-income clinics and providing dental supplies to homeless women and children. It also helps support Medical Teams International, which provides roughly $5 million worth of free dental care to 15,000 children and adults in Washington and Oregon each year, and has a dental van that travels to low-income areas in south King County.

Dentists volunteer their time and resources at the Union Gospel Mission, Johnny Johnson Memorial Dental Clinic, Hallar Lake Christian Health Clinic and other community centers and clinics.

While we celebrate our volunteer activities, we realize that our efforts must also be directed at developing policy solutions that improve dental access for all of those in need.

We can draw from our recent success with the “Access to Baby and Child Dentistry” (ABCD) project as we search for thoughtful public policy. This nationally acclaimed program has dramatically improved access to oral healthcare for hundreds of children throughout Washington in both rural and urban areas. It was successful because of a collaboration of efforts from legislators, the University of Washington’s School of Dentistry, organized dentistry, local health departments and the Medicaid / DSHS program. Special features of this program include emphasis on family education, case management, primary prevention, improved access to dental offices for treatment, dentist provider training and “modest” improvements in fee reimbursement from the Medicaid program.

We’ll keep working to help solve this problem through both individual actions and collaborative efforts. However, we also urge the Legislature to work with us, as they have in the past, to help craft policy solutions that provide access to affordable dental care, but do not put patients at risk or offer only fragmented care. Washingtonians deserve high-quality, affordable oral healthcare, and dentists across the state are committed to help make it happen.

Dr. Chris Delecki is the president of the Seattle-King County Dental Society and a member of the Washington State Dental Association.