Be true to your teeth and they won’t be false to you. — Soupy Sales
Everyone has teeth but not everyone has enough money to pay for a dental visit. This presents a problem. Me Familia is trying to make that problem a little easier for the families in Champaign-Urbana. Me Familia is a dental group that just opened up at 1905 W. Springfield Ave., near the corner of Mattis and Springfield Avenue. I went to the grand opening, took some photos, and talked with some of the staff. Essentially Me Familia provides dental work (cleanings, fillings, extractions) to people with no insurance, Medicaid insurance, and private insurance. They take walk-in’s and scheduled appointments. Later in the fall, an orthodontist will join the team and they will offer more services like braces.
I was spoke with Emily Waddell, the office manager at Me Familia. Read on to learn more details.
Smile Politely: What is Me Familia?
Erin Waddell: Familia Dental is a corporate owned business that focuses on providing state of the art dental care for all adults and children. We provide extended hours and Saturday appointments so that coming to the dentist can be convenient for everyone, and our offices are all modern in design with televisions in every room and a play area to make the experience of seeing a dentist comfortable. Champaign is Familia’s 28th office. There are also offices throughout the state of Illinois, as well as Indiana, New Mexico, and Texas. The company will be expanding to Wisconsin before the end of the year.
SP: Does your staff speak Spanish?
Waddell: We have interpreters as well as Spanish speaking staff at our call center, which is located in Schaumburg and where all calls go initially.
SP: How can one become a patient?
Waddell: Becoming a patient at Familia is as easy as calling to set up an initial appointment. We strive to get all patients seen as soon as possible — if not that day, then the day after. Our hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. We accept most insurances, as well as all forms of Medicaid. Traditionally, but not in all cases, insurance and Medicaid cover initial appointments as well as preventative dental care.
SP: How much does it cost?
Waddell: For patients with no insurance, we offer several specials. For $19 they can get an exam and X-ray of a problem area that is bothering them; for $38 they can get a full mouth of X-rays as well as an exam; and for $45 they can get a full mouth of X-rays, exam, and a polishing, which is like a surface cleaning.
What is an open house without a bounce house?
…And face painting?
The tooth-fairy showed up!
The wait won’t be bad. We have a 4 chairs for each one of our dentists!
— Lauren Langer, Community Relations at Me Familia (below)
What’s a dentis office without a… playhouse?!
Smiling staff.
Dentistry is an important service that nearly everyone needs. I hope that Me Familia can serve our community in a positive way.