Medical Teams International announced Thursday that services offered at the non-profit organization’s will be expanding services offered at its mobile dental van locations.

Earlier this week, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Washington state’s plan for all elective procedures to resume. Now, Medical Teams International — which has been offering emergency drive-up services for those who are in need of immediate dental care — will be offering additional, non-emergency services every Thursday through the end of June.

Services will be available Thursdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Lynnwood Food Bank, located at 5320 176th St. S.W. in Lynnwood, behind Silver Creek Family Church. Services are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.

New services available include fillings and extractions on teeth that are urgent and non-urgent. 

One goal of the mobile dental vans has been to keep patients from visiting local hospital emergency rooms. This free clinic is for patients who do not have dental insurance or any reasonable means to pay for emergency dental treatment.

Prior to receiving dental work, patients will be screened for any signs of recent illness and asked if they have experienced any flu-like symptoms.

Walk-up patients will have their temperature taken as well. If they exhibit no risk factors and have an urgent dental need, they will wait in their vehicles — or an assigned seating area with 6-foot distancing — until they can be seen in the mobile clinic.

Anyone exhibiting or acknowledging at risk symptoms will be turned away. COVID-19 testing will not be available at this location.

–By Cody Sexton