On this page Our Services For Patient Program Enrollment Make a Referral About Us Our MissionNavigating care through a large academic health care institution can be frustrating, confusing, time consuming, and anxiety provoking. Our team is here to help. The Dental Navigator is an interprofessional team of dental students, dental hygiene students, social work students, and their faculty that are here to help our patients navigate their urgent oral health care needs.We are here not only to assess your urgent oral health needs, but to become your "key contact" person in coordinating all of your dental appointments throughout the dental school. We can also provide information and resources for dental insurance, food insecurity, housing instability, transportation, and other medical needs.At the heart of our mission lies the commitment to provide you with specialized dental care. We hope to shift the focus from seeking care in a hospital setting to a dental clinic. Our aim is to address your urgent needs, and then provide individualized routine and preventative care. We strive to create an environment that will support, inform, and empower you in maintaining a healthy and vibrant smile! Our Services Emergency services we provide:Toothache Relief: Immediate assessment and treatment of severe toothaches to alleviate pain and identify the underlying cause.Emergency Extractions: Prompt removal of severely damaged or decayed teeth causing acute pain or infection.Repair of Chipped or Broken Teeth: Restorative procedures to repair chips, cracks, or fractures in teeth to prevent further damage and restore functionality.Dental Abscess Management: Drainage and treatment of dental abscesses to relieve pain and prevent the spread of infection.Temporary Crown or Filling Placement: Provision of temporary crowns or fillings to protect damaged teeth until permanent restoration can be completed.Treatment for Soft Tissue Injuries: Management of injuries to the gums, lips, cheeks, or tongue, including suturing if necessary, to promote healing and prevent complications.Dental Prosthesis Repair: Emergency repairs for damaged dental prosthetics such as bridges, crowns, or dentures to restore function and aesthetics.Prescription of Antibiotics: Provision of antibiotics when necessary to manage discomfort or infection. Social Services Social Services: Our Social Work team can help you navigate additional services not limited to dental care.Supportive services for applying for dental insuranceSupport with transportation needsCommunity ResourcesFood pantriesSheltersAddiction and Recovery ServicesHealth care providersMental health careComprehensive ServicesOnce your urgent dental concern is resolved. You will work with your Dental Navigator Team Member on listing your oral health goals and together developing a plan for comprehensive preventive dental care.Close follow-up over time to ensure a long-lasting healthy smileFor those that have opted into the research portion, your DN student will follow up with your care over the next year. You will be scheduled for necessary comprehensive treatments with your Dental Navigator Dental Student to address all of your oral needs. For Patient Preparing For Your VisitOnce the referral has been placed, a Dental Navigator Team member will call you and will ask you a series of questions to determine your eligibility and availability.Be prepared to provide the following information:Date of birthAddressDate and location of care at emergency or urgent care servicesTransportation NeedsInterpretation NeedsDates and times you are available to be seen Pre Appointment Prior to your appointment please do the following:Complete all the patient forms here.If you can please send all x-rays in the last 2 years to dentalrecordcopy@umich.eduPlease continue to communicate with your Dental Navigator Team Member directlyIf you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment please let your team member know directly.What to bring to your appointmentValid ID or and licenseDental insurance information or card Legal Guardianship forms or completed temporary delegation formsList of all current medicationDay of Appointment ExpectationsPlease arrive 20 minutes prior to your appointment for parking and to complete any additional paperworkPlease do not bring children, as we do not have childcare available Only you will be allowed in the clinic, all others must wait in the waiting area unless previously discussed and approved by the program manager.Parking at the SOD is $3.00. Program Enrollment How you become a patient of the Dental Navigator ProgramReferrals are made directly to the Dental Navigator Program from a participating Emergency Department, Urgent Care Provider, or Referral Service. Calls from patients wanting to schedule will be directed to the main School of Dentistry Patient Appointment Office.Enrollment in this program does not only benefit our patients but also supports the academic pursuits of our students.To qualify for enrollment you must meet the following criteria: Criteria Have a referral from a participating an emergency department or urgent care provider or referral serviceYou must be 18 years of age and overDo not have primary dental care providerMedicaid insured or no insuranceIf you are enrolled into this program and attend all expected appointments you will be provided a Dental Navigator Grant Voucher to help cover the costs of dental care services.During the course of the program you will be asked to complete 3 questionnaires at different intervals of treatment.Patients who choose to opt out of the research portion will still receive care for their urgent need, will be assigned to a dental student not associated with the dental navigator, and will be responsible for the cost of their treatment. If the patient chooses to go to a provider not within the School of Dentistry a referral to that provider can be provided. Make a Referral Only participating Emergency Department, Urgent Care Provider, or Referral Services may make a direct referral to our program. The provider or providers staff must make the referral, patients can not call in to schedule an appointment.In order for your patient to qualify for this program they must meet the following criteria:Have an urgent dental need in which they sought care at an emergency department or urgent care18 years of age and overDo not have a primary dental care providerMedicaid insured or no insuranceIf you believe your patient qualifies for our program, please use the below Referral Form. Someone from our team will reach out to them immediately.AppointmentsAppointments are available at the Dental School on Thursday mornings 8:00AM to 11:30AM. Same day or prescheduled are available. These appointments will be scheduled by your Dental Navigator Team Member after the referral form has been submitted.Additionally, more appointment times might be available in the Dental Student Clinics as appointed by your Dental Navigator Team Member. Your Team member will call you to schedule during these times. Dental Navigator Referral Form About Us We are an inter-professional team of Faculty, students and staff at U-M School of Dentistry and the School of Social Work working together to try to solve access to oral care issues for adults in Southeast Michigan. It is estimated that about one percent of daily emergency department visits end with a dental diagnosis, yet 90% of those diagnoses do not result in actual dental treatment but with a prescription for medication to treat the symptoms not the actual underlying oral health problem. This creates a significant economic burden for hospitals and emergency departments as well as for the longevity of the patients oral health as preventive measures to prevent future problems are not addressed.We know that the delivery of and access to oral health care in America has not changed in the adult population since the 2000 Surgeon General's Report on the Oral Health of America. And that the prevalence of dental diseases, such as dental caries and periodontal disease, has neither drastically improved nor changed; access to oral health care for many Americans is still problematic. Read more One strategy to improve the oral health of Americans is to increase the integration of oral and medical care delivery. To achieve this, intentional collaborative care mechanisms between dental and medical practitioners are needed. Therefore, in March of 2020 Martha McComas and Dr. Elizabeth Hatfield identified the need for an integrative interdisciplinary solution to address the gaps that currently exist including the reliance on emergency services for routine dental needs.To do this, they created and implemented a patient navigation system in which they named The Dental Navigator. The dental navigator is a team of dental, dental hygiene, and social work faculty, staff, that exists not only to assess patient needs, but to become the “key contact for the patient, who helps facilitate other necessary social services such as help acquiring federal, state, or private dental insurance, and interprofessional medical care communication and coordination outside of dentistry.The Dental Navigator Program launched in November of 2022 and includes a team of Dental students, dental faculty, dental hygiene and social work.Our teams focuses on prioritizing the treatment of the patients' urgent dental needs to expediently address the patients' pain status, often, entailing a prompt appointment in oral surgery and/or endodontics. The teams also works with the patient in creating oral health goals, giving tailored oral health education and coordinates with the school social worker to implement wrap around care strategies.Finally, the teams facilitate both dental and interdisciplinary care coordination for the patient in order to establish prevention based behaviors. Patient outcomes are monitored through the collection of pre, mid, and post-surveys.Our program is supported by the Delta Dental Foundation, a nonprofit, charitable organization established in 1980, which serves as the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and North Carolina. The DDF is dedicated to developing and enhancing partnerships and programs to improve oral and overall health and health equity. For more information, visit www.deltadental.foundation. Our Team Image Professor Martha McComas, RDH Program Manager Image Dr. Elizabeth Hatfield DDS Program Co-Manager Image Karen Burnett LMSW Program Co-Manager Jeremy Myles Russ Alexander Joseph Krasula Anthony Gordon Jr Marissa Spies Monica Fan Shruti Sivakumar Anna Cheong Kathleen Ptashnik Xuesi Hua Danyang Li (Astrid) Isabel Kelly Saaj Patel Julia Vakhnovetsky Sydney Mosteller Contact Information1011 N University, Room 2328Ann Arbor, MI 48109Email: Dentalnavigator@umich.eduCall or Text: 734-763-3387Go to Directions and Parking for more information.
