Your pearly whites are critical for slipping past a doorman without paying a cover, negotiating a business deal, and charming your coffee gal into a free grande upgrade. You never want to look straight out of the UK, but oops! Your dental insurance went out the window in the last budget cut. A new, benefits-laden job is nowhere on the horizon, so what's a broke candy-muncher like you to do? Get it for free, of course. Duh.
First of all, you can help yourself with a toothbrush, floss, and even some mouthwash. No excuses because these low-tech wonders are sold at most Dollar and 99 Cent Only stores. Not only will better breath give you a chance at the bar, but taking care of your mouth now will save you majorly on high-cost surgeries later. Think about that next time you want to avoid the dentist.
Get in touch with the following places for some free and/or low-cost dental care:
Los Angeles County Health Services offers medical care to all Los Angeles County residents at Los Angeles County Hospitals and Clinics. LACHS operates a bunch of personal health centers and hospitals. Check out their site for a provider near you.
The Saban Free Clinic (named for the Sabans of Power Rangers and VR Troopers fame) also offers medical care to uninsured residents in the Los Angeles area. The Saban Free Clinic has four locations: on Beverly Boulevard, on Hollywood Boulevard, and two on Melrose.
If English isn't your first language, don't sweat it. Most clinics have providers who speak Espanol fluently. The following locations also specialize in the languages of their respective neighborhoods:
Asian Pacific Health Care Venture
1530 Hillhurst Avenue, Number 200
323-644-3888
They also speak: Cambodian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese
The Los Angeles Free Clinic
8405 Beverly Boulevard
323-653-1990
Russian and Spanish (and English, phew!)
Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero
123 South Alvarado Street
213-989-7700
Extras:Spanish and Kanjobal (!)
Happy flossing!
P.S. A special thanks to Ms. Maggie O'Leary for doing the heavy-lifting on compiling this list. Go Mags!