Maine dental professional starts nonprofit, drives mobile 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 dental hygienist started a nonprofit organization to better serve those with dental care needs in her community.
Dental hygienist 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's candidate in public health, Lombardi began working in the field of dentistry, she told Fox News Digital.
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During those years, the practicing dental hygienist 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.
The mobile clinic truck has the ability to serve up to four different patients at one time. (Mainely Teeth)
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 — focusing mostly 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.
Amber Lombardi is founder of Mainely Teeth, a nonprofit organization serving those with dental care needs in Maine. (Mainely Teeth)
"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.
"I needed [something] that was basically taking a doctor to your door."
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.
The mobile dental unit is pulled by a Ford F-150 Powerboost, which Lombardi says is crucial to the venture's success. (Mainely Teeth)
"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.
The F-150 Pro Power onboard feature allows the truck to power the mobile dental care unit.
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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.
Pediatric patients and those with special needs were an original focus — but the pandemic allowed the nonprofit to take all those in need of dental care. (Mainely Teeth)
The dental hygienist 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.
Mainely Teeth is a nonprofit organization that serves underprivileged people in Maine by providing dental care free of cost. (Mainely Teeth)
"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.
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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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