The Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services and participating clinics, including the University of Maine at Augusta’s Dental Hygiene Clinic in Bangor, plan to provide dental hygiene services to veterans unable to afford preventive dental care.

The Maine Veterans’ Dental Network, which is overseen by the bureau, received a $200,000 grant from Northeast Delta Dental to serve veterans who do not otherwise have dental coverage or cannot afford dental care.

The UMA Dental Hygiene Clinic received $10,000 of this 2023 grant funding to provide preventive dental hygiene services (e.g. cleanings) for qualifying veterans. This program will also provide UMA’s dental hygiene program students with valuable clinical experiences under the supervision of UMA’s Dental Hygiene faculty, according to a news release from Nancy Foster, UMA Communications, Marketing & Publications Department.

The UMA Clinic is located at 201 Texas Ave. in Bangor.

Before scheduling an appointment to receive free dental hygiene services from the clinic, veterans must first receive approval from the dental network. Once approved, they will need to contact the Bangor clinic at 207-262-7872 to schedule an appointment and to provide a copy of their DD-214 (discharge papers) and proof of Maine residency (Maine driver’s license, hunting or fishing license, lease agreement or tax bill), and grant permission to forward these documents to bureau for inclusion in its database.

If veterans do not have a copy of their DD-214, the bureau can assist them in acquiring one by submitting the State of Maine Request Form on the MBVS website maine.gov.

Maine veterans should contact the network at 207-287-6836 or [email protected] for eligibility and confirmation before scheduling a free dental cleaning, including X-rays and fluoride treatment.

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