The mission of Interfaith Dental Clinic is to restore, protect and improve the oral health of uninsured, low-income working people, their children, and the elderly in Middle Tennessee through access to affordable quality dental care, oral disease prevention services, and oral health education.
After doing volunteer dentistry in third-world countries, founder Dr. Tom Underwood realized that there were hardworking people right here in Middle Tennessee that were in just as desperate need of dental care but could not afford it. With the help of the Nashville Dental Society and the Outreach Commission of West End United Methodist Church, Dr. Underwood initiated Interfaith Dental Clinic in November 1994 to provide affordable dental care for working poor families and the elderly who fall between the cracks of private practice and public healthcare.
The clinic started with a two-chair operation and one employee in the basement of West End United Methodist Church. In 1998, Interfaith Dental Clinic moved into its current home at 1721 Patterson Street and in 2012 opened a satellite clinic in Murfreesboro to serve the Rutherford County community. The clinics have 15 operatories and state-of-the-art equipment.
Members of the TDHA support the work done at the clinic and would like to highlight some of their recent activities and the volunteers that support this worthy non-profit organization.