On this early September Thursday, evening in a brand new waiting room, the final flecks of dust were being washed and vacuumed away as dentists Mike Flewelling and David Johnson looked out over the room decorated with sunny portraits of flowers and a welcome plaque. All that was missing were the patients.

Community Dental officially opened its doors at 226 S. Lincoln St. purposefully without a lot of fanfare Tuesday, but dentists Flewelling and Johnson celebrated the opportunity to be able to now help more residents in the area receive dental care, especially those with Medicaid plans.

The office will be open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Walk-ins will be welcomed and a number of dental care plans are accepted.

For Flewelling, who bought the practice in May from Stephen Tankersley but will continue to operate Four Flags Dentistry, the need to accommodate more patients with varying dental care options was apparent.

“For about two years, I had been accepting some Medicaid fee schedules in my office (at Four Flags Dentistry, a sister office) and there was a much greater need than what we were able to accommodate in the building we are at currently,” Flewelling said.

But with the need to help more patients comes the need for more space, more equipment and another dentist to aid in fulfilling the needs of those in the chair.

“It just seemed to make such perfect sense,” said Flewelling. “That with their being such a strong need for some unmet dental needs in Niles that we get a dentist over here (Community Dental) and we start tailoring to some health plans that other people aren’t tailoring to.”

It was also a prime opportunity to partner with dentist David Johnson, who has 40 years of experience as a practicing dentist and who was eager to get back into the business after a temporary journey into retirement.

With Community Dental, Flewelling and Johnson said they hope to be able to reach more patients who might previously have limited access to dental care.

A quick online search for dentists in the Niles area that take Medicaid reveals a handful of choices. Now with Community Dental up and running at least one more option is available to both children and adults in need of dental care but rely on Medicaid.

As most patients alike know, quality dental care guarantees more than a brighter smile. It means less cost to fix of developing issues and a lot less physical pain down the line if they are able to see a dentist regularly and know how to care for their teeth.

“Good dental care means lack of pain.” Flewelling said. “Good dental care means good preventive techniques. Good dental care means having a place to go when in the past there just has not been one.”

The opening of the facility also brought the opportunity to update equipment. Flewelling said they were able to acquire new digital radiography equipment which gives the dentists a better imaging tool to see an issue before it is a problem.

With Community Dental open for business, Flewelling and Johnson hope to reach more patients, but an overarching goal is to teach patients the ways to care for their teeth so that they have to spend less time sitting in the dental chair with a paper bib.

“I don’t like to think of dental offices as being the traditional restorative offices: you have a problem and we are going to fix it.” Flewelling said. “I like to think of modern dental offices as being more preventative and we want to help you learn the ways at home.”

For more information call Community Dental at (269) 262-4152.