SAN DIEGO -- When Cheryl Martinez enrolled in an addiction recovery program last May, one of her first orders of business was calling Ms. Darlene.

Martinez had just spent a few months in jail and was sent to a recovery center in North County, after decades of struggling with a drug addiction. In the months before, during a relapse, she had lost her dentures.

She knew that Darlene McCarthy, the clinic coordinator at Cura Smiles, a City Heights dental clinic where she received a set of dentures in 2022, would be able to help.

“The smile is the most important thing,” Martinez said. “For a while … I didn’t feel like I’d be able to fit into society without (it).”

Martinez was quickly booked for an appointment at the clinic, which provides free dental care for individuals without dental insurance, many of whom are low-income, in addiction recovery or unhoused.

Cura Smiles was founded in 2017, and has since steadily grown to help hundreds of clients like Martinez.

Earlier this year, it received a boost — $60,000 in unrestricted grant funding and more than $63,000 for items to support its work from several local and regional philanthropic organizations, including new dental chairs and clinic equipment.

The clinic has four operatories at its location within the Mid-City Church of the Nazarene, and is open two to three times a week. Its team of 26 volunteer dentists and four dental hygienists perform a range of services for clients, from basic cleanings and fillings to extractions and dentures.

Cura Smiles steps in to provide such procedures for clients who don’t have dental insurance, or whose insurance plan won’t cover certain services. Medicare doesn’t include dental insurance, and while Medi-Cal does cover dental, it only provides dentures once every five years.

For clients like Martinez and others who are in addiction recovery or struggling financially, Cura Smiles can make an immediate difference.

“Our clients are people who just haven’t been able to prioritize their oral health — and we need to, because it’s just so important for overall well being,” said Christine Passmore, the organization’s executive director.

Oral disease has been linked to medical conditions including heart disease and diabetes, and research has shown that marginalized communities often suffer the most from oral disease and face high barriers to accessing dental care, including costs and a lack of available care in a community.

Cura Smiles works with several community organizations that refer clients to the clinic, including the San Diego Rescue Mission and Youth Assistance Coalition.

The recent financial assistance has been key.

Local and regional philanthropic groups have awarded Cura Smiles grant funding as well as two new dental chairs, new cabinetry, updated dental hand pieces and an x-ray sensor. The clinic previously only had one x-ray sensor, which limited the number of clients it was able to serve.

Increasing the clinic’s efficiency is more important as it has grown over recent years.

Cura Smiles was founded in 2017 by Solana Beach dentist Thomas Fitzpatrick, who was inspired to increase access to dental care after working in clinics in Nicaragua. The clinic officially opened in 2020.

Since then, it has completed $1 million worth of dental services, serving more than 700 clients and completing more than 4,300 procedures.

Last year, Cura Smiles served 247 patients and performed $415,000 worth of services — nearly double the amount from the year before, Passmore said.

The services are entirely free to clients.

“You have patients that are very appreciative,” said Ghazal Navab, one of the clinic’s volunteer dentists. “These people otherwise would be self conscious if they don’t have a smile, or they’ll be in pain… So seeing their reaction is amazing.”

Chula Vista resident John Utreras came to the clinic last year with his elderly friend, Julian, who needed a new set of dentures. One day, the staff asked Utreras if he needed any guidance for his own teeth.

Despite his protests that he was only there to help his friend, the Cura Smiles’ dentists sat Utreras down and examined his teeth, noting that his front two were deteriorating.

Utreras said their assessment gave him the insight he needed to take care of his teeth to prevent further damage or procedures.

“They went beyond the call of duty to help,” he said.

To provide care, the clinic relies on volunteer dentists and hygienists, along with grant funding and donated items.

Passmore says Cura Smiles’ operating costs are between $180,000 and $200,000 annually. Donations and grants are crucial to covering that.

This year, it received two dental chairs — one from the San Diego philanthropic organization Las Patronas and another from the Arizona-based Del E. Webb Foundation, which also donated cabinetry and clinic supplies. Cura Smiles was one of 21 organizations to receive an item through Las Patronas’ spring grant process. The dental chair was worth about $20,000.

The Sundt Foundation, based in Arizona, granted Cura Smiles $5,000 and is set to install the new cabinetry for free, and the Cushman Foundation provided the clinic with the x-ray sensor.

In June, the David C. Copley Foundation approved a $50,000 matching challenge grant for Cura Smiles. That means the foundation will match every dollar that Cura Smiles receives in additional donor funding — so it could ultimately end up with $100,000.

“We know dental healthcare is expensive and many people can’t afford dental insurance, especially when there are more pressing issues like paying the rent and buying groceries,” said Kim Koch, the foundation’s chief operating officer.

Each of these donations are going toward the clinic’s growth and ability to provide expanded services. In the last year, the clinic has focused on bringing more dentures to its clients.

But for clients like Martinez, it’s about more than dentistry.

After being in and out of recovery programs for more than 20 years, Martinez says Cura Smiles and her new dentures have helped her get her life back on track by giving her confidence to smile and share herself with her community.

She has now been sober for more than a year, recently moved into permanent housing in Escondido and is spending time with her grandchildren.

“I’m able to participate in my life today,” Martinez says, “and a big part of that is because I am able to smile.”

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