Plymouth and Bristol, NH- Mid-State Health Center and Speare Memorial Hospital have launched a new collaboration to help those who seek care in the emergency room for urgent dental concerns. Dental emergencies such as trauma to a tooth or an infection in the mouth often end up in the emergency room. This can be costly for the patient and many dental issues are not easily addressed in the hospital’s care setting.

Funded by the State of New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Oral Health Program, Mid-State and Speare have launched a dental care coordination program to help patients with serious dental issues before they head to the emergency room. By first contacting an Oral Health Care Coordinator, these patients will be connected to Mid-State’s Dental team in Bristol to receive the urgent dental care they need. 

Dr. Kelly Perry, Mid-State’s Dental Services Director, says, “The Mid-State Oral Health Team is really excited to collaborate with Speare on this project. In a state whose Medicaid program only covers emergency [dental?] services for adults, we have a tremendously high need for urgent dental services to treat dental pain and infection outside of the hospital emergency department setting. We hope this project will ensure that folks in our community have access to the services that best fit their needs.”

With the goal of increasing access to appropriate, and affordable dental care, Mid-State and Speare are looking forward to providing this collaborative project to the community. For more information, contact Mid-State’s Dental Team at 603-744-6200.