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Overview
What is Apple Tree Dental?
Apple Tree is a nonprofit dental organization dedicated to bringing dental care to people who otherwise would be without.
Over 600,000 Minnesotans are not able to get the dental care they need. That's enough people to fill 10 Metrodomes!
Many people don't have the choice of going to the dentist. This is a choice that is often taken for granted, but for nursing home
residents, people with disabilities, low-income families, and others, dental care is often beyond reach. Barriers are financial,
physical and/or cultural.
Apple Tree's nonprofit status and mobile delivery systems are the keys to overcoming these problems. We bring care directly to people
who need it most.
With support from individual donors, foundation grants, and corporate sponsors, Apple Tree can relieve the suffering and improve the
lives of people who have barriers to obtaining the care they need.
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Isn't dental care optional? What does it have to do with health?
If your mouth isn't healthy, you are not healthy. Pain and suffering due to dental problems can lead to problems with eating,
speaking, thinking, and learning. Studies have shown a link between gum diseases and diabetes, heart and lung diseases, stroke,
and adverse pregnancy outcomes. For poor Minnesotans, dental access is one of the three top health care needs. Minnesota has a
shortage of dentists, and a growing dental access crisis.
How does Apple Tree provide mobile care? Do they use a Winnebago?
No! Winnebago-style dental offices are inaccessible for patients who have mobility problems or who use wheelchairs. Instead, the
Apple Tree Mobile Offices are rolled inside a facility such as a nursing home, Head Start center, school or group home. With
on-site care, patients can receive dental care in a place that is comfortable and familiar.
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