What do you do if you have a wicked tooth ache? If you have dental insurance or can afford dental care, you make an appointment with your dentist. If not, you might go to the emergency room to seek relief. An editorial in the Bangor Daily News pointed out the fallacy of this approach: “Dental problems are a top reason for emergency department visits among poor residents in Maine. This reality highlights a fundamentally flawed system. Rather than routine dental care, those with no insurance or state provided health coverage wait until problems are so bad — and painful — that they go to the ER for relief. Not only is the ER the wrong place to get care, it costs much more than preventive dental care.”

Visits to the ER for dental problems do little more than provide short-term pain relief through the prescription of opioids, which in turn can lead to possible addiction. The situation is untenable; the system is broken.

The Oasis Dental Clinic in Bath has been doing its part to ease the crisis since 2006. Open two-nights a month, the Clinic has been providing dental care for patients who:

1. Have no health or dental insurance, including Medicaid, Medicare, etc.

2. Have total household income at or below 175 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

3. Reside in the are of Brunswick, Topsham, Bath or Harpswell.

In the last 10 years, the Dental Clinic has provided more than $1 million of in kind dental treatment, thanks to volunteer dentists and dental assistants as well as the support of private donors and foundations.

On June 20, the Oasis Dental Clinic took a big new step in its effort to ease the dental crisis in the midcoast area. Thanks to a substantial Next Gen of Maine grant, the clinic moved to new and larger spaces at 66 Baribeau Drive in Brunswick, the site of the existing Oasis Medical Clinic. The grant enabled Oasis to purchase completely new state of the art equipment, including digital x-ray and charting software.

Just as important, the new offices will make it possible for the Dental Clinic to provide more free dental appointments, both day and night. Discussions are underway with the Dental School at the University of New England to form an alliance, which would enable Oasis to serve as a satellite clinic.

Dr. John “Jack” Bauman has been the prime mover of the Oasis Dental Clinic since its founding 10 years ago. “Dentistry has been good to me, and I need to give back to the community,” he explains. “This is something I can offer.”

I love those words, “This is something I can offer.” Happily hundreds of older folks in Midcoast Maine give “something I can offer” to worthy causes and organizations. And the more we do so, the better we all will be.

Dr. Rick Elsaesser, a member of the Oasis Dental Steering Committee and an active volunteer, has also been instrumental in the move to the newer space. “This whole thing is driven by volunteers,” he notes. “We need to motivate more dentists in the area to get involved.”

Dr. Walter Higgins has derived immense satisfaction from volunteering for Oasis Dental over the years. “I remember one young woman who was having a hard time getting a job. She didn’t want to smile because there were black marks on her teeth. I worked on her teeth for over an hour and when I was done she was so excited because she looked like a million dollars.”

Please ask your dentist to contribute a few hours to Oasis. Or if you’re a dentist, know that whatever time you can give will be most appreciated. For more information or to contribute to this important cause, go to www.oasisfreeclinics.org.

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David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary or suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at dtreadw575@aol.com.