The Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services and eight participating clinics, including the UMA Dental Hygiene Clinic in Bangor, plan to provide dental hygiene services to veterans unable to afford preventive dental care.

The Maine Veterans’ Dental Network, which is overseen by the bureau, received a $35,000 grant from Northeast Delta Dental to serve veterans who do not otherwise have dental coverage or cannot afford dental care.

The UMA Dental Hygiene Clinic received $4,000 of this grant funding and has been providing preventive dental hygiene services (e.g. cleanings) for qualifying veterans throughout the fall semester.

This program only runs through Dec. 9, so qualifying veterans are encouraged to make an appointment soon.

This program also provides UMA’s dental hygiene program students with valuable clinical experiences under the supervision of UMA’s Dental Hygiene faculty. UMA-Bangor Dental Hygiene Clinic has already provided preventative dental hygiene services this fall to more than 15 qualified veterans.

To receive dental hygiene services at no cost, veterans must provide a copy of their DD-214 (discharge papers) to the clinic and grant permission to forward the document to the bureau for inclusion in its database. If veterans do not have a copy of their DD-214, the bureau can assist them in acquiring one by submitting the State of Maine Request Form found online at  maine.gov/veterans/forms/index.html.

To make an appointment, eligible veterans can contact the UMA Dental Hygiene Clinic at 207-262-7872 or visit uma.edu to schedule a free dental cleaning, including X-rays and fluoride treatment. The UMA Dental Hygiene Clinic is located at 201 Texas Ave., Bangor.