Free Baltimore Dental Clinic Could Draw Hundreds

BALTIMORE, MD — Between 800 and 1,000 people are expected to receive free dental care this week at a Mission of Mercy clinic offered by the United Way of Central Maryland and the University of Maryland School of Dentistry.

Adults in need of dental care have been invited by homeless shelters and other service providers in Baltimore to seek selected treatments at the free clinic on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Mission of Mercy clinic's doors will open at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, and Friday, March 1, at the 1100 Wicomico Building, 1100 Wicomico St., according to organizers. It will offer extractions, fillings, and, on the final day, dental cleanings. Patients must be 18 or older.

The demand for these services is so great that capacity may be reached as early as 7:30 a.m., say organizers. In 2016 and 2017, when the clinic was part of the United Way’s Project Homeless Connect, people were known to spend the night before outside the clinic or arrive before dawn.

To streamline the process, those seeking dental care are being invited to arrive at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, for X-rays only. The first 200 people to arrive on Wednesday will be given wristbands, brought in to obtain the digital images of their teeth, and guaranteed treatment on Thursday or Friday without having to wait in line a second day.

Other partners in the free clinic include the Maryland State Dental Association Foundation and co-sponsors Saint Agnes, Ascension, and CareFirst, BlueCross and Blue Shield.