The Aspen Group Debuts TAG Oral Care Center for Excellence in Chicago

The Aspen Group Debuts TAG Oral Care Center for Excellence in Chicago

The Aspen Group has unveiled its TAG Oral Care Center for Excellence located in Chicago’s West Loop. The TAG Oral Care Center is a dental clinic that is specifically designed to meet the needs of Chicago—and Illinois—residents who are in need of dental care. The location will particularly help underserved patients in the area by providing free care, according to CEO of TAG, Bob Fontana.

Inside an operatory at the TAG Oral Care Center for Excellence.

“We’re thrilled to officially open the TAG Oral Care Center after many years of intensive planning, organizing, and building,” Fontana said in a press release from The Aspen Group. “We’re extremely proud to put our resources, clinical expertise, and passion toward expanding access to quality dental care for underserved patients in Illinois. We believe that the services provided at the TAG Oral Care Center have the power and potential to change people’s lives for the better, and we can’t wait to get to work.”

Patients will have access to a wide range of dental care, including fillings, extractions, implants, and more. To qualify for this dental care, patients must be Illinois residents, eligible for Medicaid, or uninsured with a household income that is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. The TAG Oral Care Center has a team that is prepared to serve up to 2,500 qualifying patients each year.

The TAG Oral Care Center was sponsored and supported by both dentists and policymakers, helped with the advocacy of Representative Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago) and Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago). Representative Collins and Senator Hunter helped legislation to make this center possible, allowing licensed dentists to provide free dental care.

“As a former healthcare provider myself, I uniquely understood the value a facility like the Oral Care Center could offer to residents of my district, too many of whom simply can’t afford quality dental care,” Representative Collins said in the press release. “I was proud to sponsor this bill to help overcome this challenge in our community with the opening of the TAG Oral Care Center.”

Because of the strong connection between oral health and overall health, this center stands out to help patients who need it, according to Senator Hunter.

“Regular dental care is critical for overall good health, but for so many underserved communities, it’s simply not a realistic option to maintain good oral health,” Senator Hunter said in the press release. “With clinics like the Oral Care Center, we can start to reverse that reality so that no matter where you live, you can get the care you need to support healthy living.”

The 25,000 square foot clinic was unveiled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 26, 2022, featuring Henry Schein Chairman and CEO Stanley Bergman, and Straumann Head of DSO Rahma Samow. Appointments can be booked now through Aspen Dental’s website or by calling 1-866-TAG-OCCE.