Senior Voice -

Alaska Donated Dental Services (DDS), part of the Dental Lifeline Network, is a group of dentists who have agreed to provide dental care for seniors and people with disabilities on a fixed income who cannot afford needed dental services.  This service is available on a one-time basis to qualifying applicants.

Applicants fill out an application and return it to the Alaska Coordinator for an eligibility determination. Qualifying individuals generally pay nothing, but occasionally, people in a position to pay for part of their care may be encouraged to do so, especially when laboratory work is necessary. If they have any dental coverage such as Medicaid or dental insurance, applicants would be asked to exhaust that resource first.

The application can be filled out by individuals in need, or with the help of care coordinators and information specialists at Aging and Disabilities Resource Centers. Note that the last page of the application is a medical form, for those who believe they need immediate dental help for medical reasons, but otherwise does not need to be submitted.

Alaska Donated Dental Services is not set up to provide emergency dental services, and there may be a waiting list in some areas.

For more information on the program, visit http://dentallifeline.org/alaska/