DEAR SUN SPOTS: Could you please let me know if there are any lawyers or organizations in the area that offer discount bankruptcy filing services for low-income individuals?

Also, could you or any of your readers refer me to a dentist in the area who accepts payment plans or will work with low-income patients without insurance? Community Dental in Lewiston requires full payment at the time of services and doesn’t offer payment plans, which is a hardship. Are there any other options that I am perhaps not aware of? Thank you, as always, for the time you take on each inquiry. — No Name, Auburn

ANSWER: Sun Spots responded to the same bankruptcy question on Oct. 10. Visit www.sunjournal.com/node/289755 or your library to read it.

As for dental care, according to maine.gov, there are three clinics in Androscoggin County: Community Dental in Lewiston, 777-7442; B Street Dental, also in Lewiston, serving children age 15 and younger, 753-5400; and Western Maine Children’s Dental Center in Auburn, 784-2300, which is for children ages 1 to 20. They charge on a sliding scale according to income and accept MaineCare.

For having your teeth cleaned, dental hygiene students at the University of New England’s Westbrook College Campus, 716 Stevens Ave., Portland, offers discounted rates. For patients age 12 and under, the fee averages $20, and for patients age 13 and over, the fee averages $30. There is also a discount for senior citizens. Normal cleanings at dentist offices can cost up to $100.

The UNE Dental Hygiene Clinic is a teaching clinic so appointments may require more time than a typical dentist’s office. The fees, charged to offset the cost of operating the clinic, depend on the patient’s age and needs. The Dental Hygiene Clinic is open from September through April during weekdays. For appointments, call 797-8999 Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sun Spots couldn’t find any online record of a source for free care, although she has read that some dentists do offer pro bono care on occasion. There is a shortage of dentists in Maine, and subsequently of low-cost care.

In a June story in the Bangor Daily News, Maine was reported to have just one dentist for every 3,400 patients, while the national average is one per 1,700. The dentists in Maine are older as well. If you know of a young person looking for a career, dentistry could be the way to go.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Is there any organization that accepts gently used (perhaps never used — I’m not sure my mom ever wore the item) in-the-ear hearing aids? I know the Lions Club used to collect used eyeglasses, and I wondered if there is a hearing aid equivalent. Thanks for any feedback you can give me. — Linda Washburn, Greene

ANSWER: You can donate your used hearing aid to Hear Now, which is part of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Hear Now takes the donated hearing aids and has them repaired, then resells them. That revenue is used to buy newer hearing aids for people who cannot afford them. The Hear Now address is HEAR NOW, 6700 Washington Ave. South, Eden Prairie, MN 55344, 800-648-4327, www.sotheworldmayhear.org/hearnow. Sun Spots wasn’t able to contact anyone at the Lions Club or Knights of Columbus to find out if either of those organizations accept them. Perhaps one of their members will respond.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have several pieces of used medical equipment in excellent condition that I would like to donate to people in need. Is there an organization in Western Maine that accepts such items and offers them to the public at little or no cost? — M.D., Oxford

DEAR SUN SPOTS: We have an electric hospital bed to give away. It is an older model in working condition with mattress. Someone would have to pick it up, and it is heavy. Call 783-0773. — Carol Proteau, Lewiston

ANSWER: St. Mary’s Medical Equipment To Go program takes donations of gently used medical equipment, such as crutches and wheelchairs, which it then loans to those in need of the same. You can e-mail METGO@stmarysmaine.com or call 755-3030. For items in nearly new condition specific to women’s breast health, call Cathy Black at 777-4445.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be e-mailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.