About Us
The Interfaith Dental Clinic is a 501(c)(3) program founded to bring people of all faiths together in a healing ministry, serving the working poor and the elderly through quality, affordable, comprehensive dental 
care.
The clinic does NOT see walk-in patients, and the current waiting period for new patient visits is 8-10 weeks. An application to become a patient is available for pickup at our office, and an online version will be available soon.
Our Mission
The mission of the Interfaith Dental Clinic is to restore, protect, and improve the oral health of uninsured, low-income, working people and their children in the greater Nashville area.
History
After doing volunteer dentistry in third-world countries, Dr. Tom Underwood committed himself to helping hard working people right here in Middle Tennessee that were in just as desperate need of dental care but could not afford it. With the help of the Nashville Dental Society and the Outreach Commission of West End United Methodist Church, Dr. Underwood initiated the Interfaith Dental Clinic in November of 1994 to provide affordable dental care for working poor families and the elderly who fall between the cracks of private practice and public healthcare.
The clinic started with a two-chair operation and one employee in the basement of West End United Methodist Church. In 1998, Interfaith Dental Clinic moved into its own building at 1721 Patterson Street. The clinic has 10 operatories, 16 employees, and state-of-the-art equipment.
Funding Sources
- 85 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to patient care.
- 25% of the clinic’s operating budget is met by patient fees.
- Less than 2% of the clinic’s revenue comes from government sources.
- Interfaith depends on generous individuals, foundations, companies, and congregations to subsidize our services.
Application Information
Interfaith Dental Clinic provides dental services for low-income, working individuals who do not have dental insurance.
You must meet the following criteria to apply through the application process:
- Live in one of the following counties: Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, or Wilson
- Work
- Student or Single Parent: Must be employed and working a minimum of 20 hours per week
- Single Person: Must be employed and working a minimum of 30 hours per week
- Married and Head of Household: Must be employed and working a minimum of 30 hours per week
- Married but not Head of Household: Must be employed and working a minimum of 20 hours per week (unless children under age of 5 at home)
- If you are 65 or older and receive social security, a widow age 60 or over, or a caregiver not paid for providing care (example: adult child taking care of elderly parents on full time basis), you are not required to meet the working standards to qualify
- Do NOT have dental insurance (unless covered by TennCare or CoverKids)
Acceptance is based on above criteria in addition to total household income level and the number of individuals supported in the household
Our program is on a sliding fee scale. Patients receive a 50% to 80% discount off market value for services based on income level.
If you meet the above requirements, we ask that you fill out an application and bring it to our office Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am- 11:00am and 2:00pm to 4:00pm. You will also need to bring the following documents: 2 recent pay stubs, Tennessee Driver’s License, Utility Bill or similar and Social Security card.
Please download and fill out our NEW PATIENT APPLICATION (English) or APLICACION PARA EL PROGRAMA (Espanol).
This Application is in PDF Format, and requires Adobe Acrobat reader to open this file.
To Save this Application for later printing, Right Click the above link and choose the Save As Option.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| application_2011.pdf | 380.48 KB |
| complete_app_in_spanish_2011.pdf | 89.71 KB |
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