Sawtooth Mountain Clinic Expands Dental Aid to More North Shore Adults

For a working-age adult on the North Shore who has been putting off the dentist because they cannot cover the bill, Sawtooth Mountain Clinic just changed the calculation. The clinic's Oral Health Task Force launched a pilot on April 1 that opens its dental financial assistance program to adults aged 27 through 64, a slice of the region's workforce that had previously fallen outside the program's coverage entirely.

The assistance covers up to 90% of the cost of preventive services, including exams, cleanings, and X-rays, as well as partial coverage for basic restorative work such as fillings. A new-patient visit including X-rays runs $175 to $350 out of pocket at most dental offices; under the pilot, a qualifying adult's share could fall to roughly $17 to $35.

To apply, residents must complete a form available at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic at 513 5th Avenue West in Grand Marais, at Grand Marais Family Dentistry, or through the clinic's website. The one firm requirement: proof of income must be submitted within 30 days of filing. Bonnie Dalin, the OHTF's program coordinator and oral health hygienist, is available to walk applicants through eligibility screening at 218-370-2559.

Before April 1, the task force had served children, young adults up to age 26, pregnant people, uninsured or underinsured seniors 65 and older, and members of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa across Cook County and neighboring North Shore communities including Lake County. Adults 27 through 64 had been left without a local subsidized option, a gap that pushed many to delay care until a cleaning became a root canal.

The track record of the program frames what that gap has cost. When the OHTF began screening children in Cook County schools, the local cavity rate matched the state average of 27%. By 2023, it had dropped to 7% countywide, with ISD 166 schools reaching 4.7%. Paul Nelson, who created the task force and later received the Virginia McKnight Binger Heart of Community honor for that work, built the program on the premise that cost should not determine whether a North Shore resident ever sees a dentist.

The pilot runs on the same grant-driven model that has sustained the OHTF for years. Program administrators will be tracking application volumes and the share of approved patients who complete care, the clearest early signal of whether the funding can hold for a wider population without shortchanging the groups the task force has long served.