Provide Critical Dental Services to Oregon's Youth

In 2011 we announced plans to add a new dental clinic to expand access for our patients. Each of our four primary care sites includes an onsite or nearby dental clinic-- except one. Our patients that are seen for primary care in Beaverton, must travel to other sites for dental services, which is an added barrier to our...

“Your daughter is beautiful!” exclaims Yadira Martinez, dental hygienist at Virginia Garcia Hillsboro’s dental clinic. Gabriela Lopez beams. When Gabriela first came to VG Dental she wasn’t smiling. “My gums were sore and swollen,” said Gabriela. “I have a blood clotting disorder...

When you think of wellness, I’m sure the first thing to pop into your head isn’t your teeth and gums.  The truth is that your mouth is a good indicator of your body’s overall health.  Obviously by virtue of the fact that I’m a dentist, I tend to look at overall health through a lens of...

This week, Portland City Council voted unanimously to fluoridate the city's drinking water. Portland is the largest city in the country without fluoridation, and it shows. A recent report revealed that one in three Oregon children have untreated tooth decay. Many of those children pass through our dental clinics as their...

In order to best provide oral health care services for the children of our community, we have begun offering services in our two School Based Health Centers, located in local high schools. We have just completed our first year of this oral health initiative, supported by an array of funders, and it proved to be more...

Dr. Lisa Bozzetti, Virginia Garcia Dental Director, shares: “More and more, we are witnessing the positive results of consistent oral health education with our families. For example, in one family we might see the six-year old, who has multiple silver crowns and missing teeth due to baby bottle cavities; a three-year...

As we draw 2011 to a close, we are pleased to take a look back and the work that has occured in our dental clinics. In 2011 alone, our dental program served over 8,000 community members in need with vital dental care. Of those 8,000 patients, 6,000 were children with no other option for care. Virginia Garcia's Dental...

Although the project is still hoping to gain additional supporters, we are approaching a very exciting time for our children's dental program, and all services for our patients. Our current Cornelius Clinic location is in the midst of a major overhaul, which will not only provide critical wellness programs to keep our...

Despite a slow start initiating the funding of this project, our staff continues to accomplish so much with their resources! Frequently we hear positive success stories from providers about their experiences with the children they serve. An example of the impact we are making on the youth of our community is...

Since our projected began, we have received lots of positive feedback! Our greatest feedback however, comes from our patients, like Luis as told by Dr. Lisa Bozzetti, DDS: “In 2008, I began treatment with a five-year old boy named Luis, who had extensive dental problems. He was frightened when he arrived at the...