The Story of Interfaith Dental Clinic – “The Little Clinic that Could”

Good, quality dental care can be a luxury to some families. Maybe it is a single mom, working two jobs. Maybe it is a senior citizen who ekes by on Social Security. Maybe it is a hard-working father supporting a family with his minimum wage job. Without dental insurance, these families often just don’t get the care they need.

Ten years ago, a local dentist, Dr. Tom Underwood, had an idea to help families like these. Underwood had been on several mission trips to third-world nations and noticed that many Tennesseans had worse oral health than the people there. He knew that hard-working people who lived along the poverty line often fell in the cracks between public health care and private practice.

Underwood approached the West End United Methodist Church and the Nashville Dental Society with a proposed solution. The two entities would develop a clinic to serve the unmet dental needs of the working poor population in middle Tennessee.

The West End United Methodist Church agreed to provide a space in its basement so volunteer dentists could see patients. Local dental suppliers donated the necessary dental equipment and materials. The late Dr. Charles Ingram volunteered his time to be the first clinic administrator.



In 1994, the clinic opened its doors for a few nights a week. All dental services were donated by volunteer dentists, specialists, hygienists, and assistants. In 1995, the Interfaith Dental Clinic was able to hire Dr. Rhonda Switzer as full-time executive director and staff dentist.


The clinic’s board decided to focus the agency’s efforts on employed families who were committed to regaining optimum oral health and learning the skills to maintain it. Qualified patients are accepted for an average period of one-year, during which they receive sliding fee scale prices on all the services necessary to restore their mouths, both functionally and esthetically. The average patient pays about 20% of market value. After patients complete the program, they are discharged into the private practice world to maintain the work that has been done through regular cleanings. This referral encourages self-sufficiency and makes room for new patients.

Today, the clinic sits in a six-operatory building and boasts 11 staff members. During the last fiscal year, the clinic saw about 800 patients and restored almost 300 to optimum oral health.

The clinic’s budget for the 2005-06 fiscal year is $1,299,000 with patient fees accounting for 25% of the agency’s budget. The rest of the funds are raised through United Way, private foundations, churches, companies, and generous individuals in the greater Nashville community.

The clinic couldn’t operate without the generosity of community volunteers. Last year, about 200 people volunteered at the clinic, and dental professionals alone gave more than $200,000 worth of services to Interfaith’s patients.

While the clinic has continued to grow, there is never a shortage of people needing its services.“Right now, the clinic turns away 10-12 families a day.” says Switzer. “We could be double the size we are now and not run into a shortage of families who need our care.”

To help meet this need, the clinic is currently raising $1.2 million to expand its program by 30%. The expansion will include four new dental operatories, a larger lab and sterilization area, and additional dental staff to serve the patients. The expansion will open in January 2006.

To find our more about the clinic call 329-4790 or log onto www.interfaithdentaclinic.com.