Our Services
General Comprehensive Exams
The American Dental Association recommends that you see your dentist at least twice a year for a comprehensive dental exam. Maintaining your oral health is important in avoiding pain, tooth loss, tooth decay and gum disease. AIDC will provide a complete checkup to assess any problems such as tooth decay, gum disease and oral cancer.
With a comprehensive exam every six months, we can manage small dental problems before they grow into larger, more complicated issues. Untreated tooth decay can grow rapidly and destroy an entire tooth, and gum disease can advance if not detected early which can lead to tooth loss. Catching these problems early is important in controlling them.
- The Albuquerque IHS Dental Clinic provides dental care for Native Americans, ages 25 and younger
- These services include both routine care and preventive care
- Pregnant women are eligible for routine care at any age
- Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, students of any age
Routine and Preventive Care
By appointment:
8 A.M.-4:30 P.M. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
10 A.M.-4:30 P.M. Tuesday
Closed Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays
Gentle, Professional Cleanings
People should visit their dentist for a professional hygiene cleaning every 6 months to maintain oral health. Knowing the condition of your teeth is important so that if problems are detected they can be treated early to avoid developing more serious issues. Hygiene cleanings can help to detect, deter and prevent gum disease. A professional hygiene cleaning also removes tartar below the gum line, smoothes out surfaces where plaque builds up and helps eliminate bacterial infection.
Important Reasons to Get Professional Cleanings
- To prevent pain, and tooth loss
- To eliminate bad breath
- To detect possible health risks such as oral cancer and gum disease
- To have a brighter, whiter smile
Dental Care Eligibility
Native Americans ages 25 and younger are eligible for services at AIDC if they have one of the following:
- Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs or by the enrolling Tribe
- Letter from enrolling tribal Office or BIA agency showing recognition of descendancy
- Children under 18 years old are eligible for treatment by using their parent's CIB (Certificate of Indian Blood)
Benefits Enrollment
- Medicaid and private insurance are not required but support additional services and equipment that IHS may not otherwise have available
- The New Mexico Income Support Division (ISD) Worker is at AIDC on Tuesdays and Thursdays if you would like to apply for New Mexico Medicaid
- Applications are available in Patient Registration -You can prepare the application ahead of time and the documents that you will need to bring are: Birth Certificates for all family members, Certificate of Indian Blood for all family members, Social Security Cards for all family members, and paycheck stubs from the past 3 months
- New Mexico Income Support Division worker: (505) 922-4205
Routine Services
- The Albuquerque IHS Dental Clinic provides dental care for Native Americans, ages 25 and younger
- AIDC provides routine and preventive care
- Pregnant women are also eligible for routine dental care
Orthodontic Clinic
- The Albuquerque Area Orthodontic Program is located at the Albuquerque IHS Dental Clinic. We accept referrals from Albuquerque Area IHS and tribal dental programs. Contact your local dental clinic for referral requirements. Ages 14 and under at time of referral
Same Day Emergency Dental Care
Emergency dental care is a service we hope you will never need – but if you do we are here to help. Emergency services are available to all Native Americans, regardless of age.
No one should suffer though constant, excruciating pain, so we are available to assist you if you have oral pain no matter what age you are. Based on a first come first serve basis, you may sign in as early as 7:30am Monday-Friday however, emergency treatment is 1pm-3pm.
Several factors can cause pain and the need for emergency care, including:
- Abscessed tooth
- Swollen infected gums
- Severe tooth decay
- Broken tooth
- Filling lost
Emergency patients are limited each day and seen on a first come, first serve basis every afternoon. You are welcome to sign in when we open.
Emergency Care hours are Noon to 3 P.M., Monday-Friday
After hours emergency care
Go to your local emergency room or Urgent Care Center (you may be responsible for payment).
Root Canal Therapy, not like it used to be
Despite the common belief that root canals are very painful, actually they cause very little pain and discomfort. In fact, root canals relieve tooth pain. AIDC is here to help.
What is a Root Canal?
Each tooth has nerves that run through the center of the root of the tooth, which are called “root canals.” When the nerve dies because of a deep cavity or damage from trauma, root canal therapy is needed. Without treatment, pain will get worse and the tooth can get infected causing swelling.
What is Root Canal Therapy?
Root canal therapy is used to remove the dead nerve from the tooth. After numbing the area around the tooth we will isolate the tooth and sterilize it in order to protect it from germs in the mouth. The doctor will then remove the dead nerve from the canals. Afterward, we will sterilize the tooth and place a filling inside of it.
Years ago, completing a root canal used to take several, long visits to the dentist. Today, root canals can often be completed in less than one hour during a single visit, thanks to recent advances in technology and new dental techniques.
As a partner of AIDC, NAPPR (Native American Professional Parent Resources, Inc.) offers a range of educational and developmental services to Native American families with young children.