Maine dentist starts nonprofit, drives mobile dental care truck statewide to serve those in need

Whether you like or loathe a trip to the dentist’s office, those pearly whites need tending to one way or another. 

It's why a former brick-and-mortar office dentist started a nonprofit organization to better serve those with dental care needs in her community. 

Dentist Amber Lombardi is founder of the Mainely Teeth dental care nonprofit based in Portland, Maine. 

After graduating from the University of New England, and then Southern New Hampshire University as a Master of Public Health candidate, Lombardi began working in the field of dentistry, she told Fox News Digital.

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During those years, the practicing dentist said she would work in a traditional dentist office while also contributing her services to other nonprofits and dental clinics around the state. 

"I would go into schools, nursing homes, people’s houses and had this real passion for meeting people where they were at — doing what I call ‘street dentistry’," she said.

This is how she said she began seeing firsthand how much proper dental care attention was needed by many.

Lombardi decided to open a nonprofit organization called Mainely Teeth, to provide dental care free of charge to those in need — mainly focusing on pediatrics and special needs patients.

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But when the pandemic hit in 2020, Lombardi decided to open it up to anyone who needed care. 

"We are trying to break down barriers to give people the access to quality, compassionate dental care, which we believe should be a right and a privilege," she said. 

The organization is now in 87 different sites across the state of Maine — including nursing homes, schools, veteran facilities and other locations. 

Recently, however, the organization built a mobile dental care facility to allow it to travel throughout the state and support as many people in vulnerable areas as possible. 

"I needed [something] that was basically taking a doctor to your door," she said about the creation of the mobile dental care unit. 

Lombardi said the mobile clinic, powered by a Ford F-150 Powerboost truck, can have up to four dental technicians working on clients at one time — and allows the organization to provide dental care across the state.

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"By having this clinic and driving to these sites and parking, we now have a space for people to access that [dental care]," she said to Fox News Digital. 

The dentist said the truck will visit nursing homes. Residents can wheel their chair right into the mobile truck and have dental work done.

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The truck is also taken to schools to visit students and children who need dental assistance — allowing Mainely Teeth to serve 20% more patients than it would without the dentistry on wheels capability.

Within the last year, the mobile clinic has served over 2,000 people across Maine. 

And yes, although the numbers are a symbol of an accomplishment, Lombardi says it’s not enough. 

"I can sit with it and see how amazing that is, but a part of me that keeps me going every day still says it’s not enough," she said about the success of the nonprofit. 

Lombardi said that moving forward, the organization hopes to serve the "gaps" within the community to create opportunities for families that might need more extensive dental care — including surgery and more.

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