New dental office opening in Pascagoula

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 81 of 82 counties in Mississippi are known as dental health professional shortage areas.
This includes Jackson County, meaning residents lack access to dental care due to barriers such as distance and cost. A new dental office opening later this week aims at easing this in Pascagoula. Aspen Dental will provide dental services that range from dentures and preventative care to general dentistry and restoration.
To offset cost, the office, located on Denny Avenue, will offer free new patient exams and x-rays, take patients without dental insurance and discounted rates at times, making dental care more accessible in Pascagoula. Managing Clinic Director Dr. Jason Olaivar said, “Pascagoula, specifically is one of the more under served. For 25,000 people, there’s four or five dentists in the area. So, 5,000 to 1 is really high. Typically a number closer to what they’re looking for is 1,000 to 1. So, 1,000 population to 1 dentist. Here, we’re looking at 5,000 each. There’s a huge need, especially for affordable dental care which is getting harder and harder to find.”
The Aspen Clinic, led by Dr. Olaivar, is located at 4001 Denny Avenue. Their grand opening is Thursday, June 1st.