Redwood City's LifeMoves Navigation Center dental clinic hits 1 year

“We can make an appointment for them, but if they live 15 miles away in their encampment, what’s the likelihood of that individual following through with dental care?” he said. “Even in a setting like this, if we didn’t have dental care here, we would still have the same issue.” 

The LifeMoves Navigation Center has 240 rooms for previously homeless individuals, but also offers a plethora of wraparound services, like case management, addiction treatment and general health care in one place. 

The dental clinic, funded through San Mateo County and run by the University of the Pacific Dental School, is a newer addition to the services that the facility provides its clients, and has been key in addressing patient dental needs quickly and with empathy and care. 

Wait times have been reduced to two weeks or less for patients, Moon said, with same-day appointments for emergency care.

For Lillian Owens, a Navigation Center resident since April, the dental clinic has been instrumental in fixing the decay in her teeth. 

“They have fixed almost all my teeth, and I feel I can smile now, because there was a lot of black going on there,” she said. “They’re still in the process of working on it, but the dental team is awesome. They’re on top of me, making sure that I make all my appointments — which I have since I’ve been here.” 

The goal is always to make patients feel comfortable and meet them where they’re at, dental clinic director Dr. Lynne Wong said. When Owens came to the clinic, for example, she slowly began to trust that staff would work to find solutions to her tooth decay that only included extraction as a last resort. 

“I think the initial hesitancy of people wanting to come in because, maybe they have bad experience with general care before, or whenever they went to see the dentist, the first thing they said is, ‘we’re going to extract the tooth,’” she said. “Obviously, there are times when we don’t have an alternative. ... But if they’re willing to work with us, we can try to compromise or meet somewhere where they feel like we’re not just going be taking all their teeth and not care about them.” 

The clinic has two dental chairs and serves four to eight patients a week with an array of services including new patient exams, X-rays, deep cleanings, oral surgeries and tooth removals, Wong said. Doctors are also able to refer patients to the University of the Pacific campus in San Francisco for procedures like implants. 

Because the clinic is run by the school, dental students are able to get experience working with a relatively vulnerable population, which is another added benefit, Wong said — creating dentists who can work with a range of clients with confidence. 

“That’s one of the goals is to educate the next generation of dentists, being more empathetic, and be willing to treat patients who may not be what their normal patient base might be,” she said. 

Aside from the health benefits of prompt dental care, feeling comfortable in ones’ skin and being able to smile at others can be a massive social benefit, Moon said. 

“When you have missing teeth or teeth that are rotting because you haven’t been able to maintain your dental care — to see somebody with a new smile, it just lights up individuals,” he said. 

For Navigation Center resident Christina Murillo, who has been using dental services for several months, the clinic is one of many positive offerings at the Navigation Center that is assisting her on the road to housing. 

Though the process of receiving housing assistance and proper benefits can be slow at times, she emphasized that it takes time and diligence — and encouraged others to empathize with those that have been unhoused. 

“When people hear ‘shelter,’ they think the worst of us. They think we’re lazy, we’re drunks, we’re addicts, we’re crazy, we don’t want to work, but it’s not that. It’s a thing called life. It could happen to anybody,” she said. “This is one of the best shelters there is — we have our own unit, and it’s a privilege to be here. I just feel so grateful to be here and be a part of it.”