Deserving Dental, a team of Direct Access Registered Dental Hygienists bring free-of-charge dental cleanings, periodontal therapy, digital x-rays, exams, oral cancer screenings, glass ionomer fillings and the SDF drill- free cavity obliteration technique to homeless shelters, nursing homes, residential substance abuse treatment facilities, and community agencies across Denver and beyond. We set up makeshift offices at each site with portable dental equipment. We serve a diverse array of at-risk individuals including seniors, children, and families, many of whom are homeless. Along with sister organization Dental At Your Door, Deserving Dental is currently the only dental hygiene provider allowed inside 30+ locations citywide. It is not uncommon for our patients to cry tears of relief after getting their teeth cleaned...having a healthy smile for the first time in years can feel overwhelming.
It also increases employment opportunities. Many patients are excited about smiling big for job interviews and housing applications. We had one man shave off his overgrown beard and mustache after our dental hygiene session. He said he didn’t need to hide his teeth behind that long beard anymore. He didn’t even look like the same person, and it wasn’t just the beard—you could see the confidence just beaming in his smile and eyes.
To enhance oral health equity by providing compassionate and comprehensive dental care to underserved and under-resourced communities, fostering smiles of hope, dignity, and confidence for all.
Deserving Dental is dedicated to eliminating barriers to oral health care for Colorado’s most vulnerable populations. Our team of licensed dental providers has a deep passion for public health and a commitment to working on the front lines, bringing care directly into the spaces where people need it most.
Since 2019, we have created pop-up dental clinics inside homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, community agencies, and residential substance abuse treatment facilities. We also provide private house calls for individuals with mobility challenges, such as quadriplegia, who cannot access traditional dental settings.
In October 2025, Deserving Dental proudly launched a new chapter in our story by introducing a fully equipped mobile dental clinic. This innovative model allows us to invite patients on board for dental care outside shelters in a state-of-the-art environment while still maintaining the same commitment to accessibility that defines our mission.
We know that the stigma of poor dental health creates barriers to both employment and housing. Too often, a missing front tooth or untreated infection becomes the difference between a job offer and a rejection, or between moving forward and staying trapped in the cycle of poverty. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of dollars are wasted each year on preventable emergency room visits for toothaches, visits that don’t fix the underlying problem.
By meeting patients directly on the shelter grounds or in our mobile dental clinic, we provide the care that helps people regain their health, dignity, and opportunity.
Today, about 80% of our work is funded through Colorado Medicaid, which has made it possible for us to serve thousands of people who would otherwise be left behind. But with the recent October 1, 2025 decrease in Medicaid reimbursement rates and the very real concern that Medicaid funding could one day be eliminated entirely, our future and the future of the patients we serve depends on the generosity of our community.
Your support on Colorado Gives Day helps us continue to show up where we are needed most. Every gift directly sustains our ability to meet patients where they are, whether in shelters, through house calls, or now on our mobile dental clinic and provide the dignity of a healthy smile.
Organization name
Deserving Dental Org
2019
Tax id (EIN)
84-2369341
Category
Health Care, Housing & Shelter, Youth Development
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
2205 W 136TH AVE STE 106 # 159Denver, CO, US
Sterling, CO, US, 80751
Broomfield, CO, US
Boulder, CO, US
Wellington, CO, US, 80549