Dental Partnership Helps HPC Patient

By Catherine Rice, Vice President of Marketing/Outreach at Health Partnership Clinic

Dental restoration process brings smiles all around

Thanks to a collaboration between Health Partnership Clinic (HPC) and the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry (UMKC)—with an assist from Delta Dental of Kansas—a longtime HPC patient is confidently smiling anew.

And while many people dread dental appointments, Israel Marcos Vasquez welcomed the opportunity to affordably restore six upper front teeth worn down over many years with six crowns.

Read on for his happy-ending story:

The patient

Vasquez, a landscaper and 17-year United States resident, became an HPC dental patient in 2015 and was seen primarily by Nader Rastgoftar, DDS, who recently left HPC as dental director following 10 years of dedicated service. Though many annual office visits were routine, several of Vazquez’s front teeth deteriorated from involuntary grinding and clenching, a condition known as bruxism.

“Bruxism can happen for a variety of reasons, but most commonly occurs due to stress and anxiety, underlying sleep disorders and certain medications or lifestyle habits,” says Dr. Alexis Rickel, DDS, of HPC and who succeeded Dr. Rastgoftar in this case.

More common than one might imagine, bruxism and other stress-related dental conditions were cited as occurring by more than 70 percent of dentists surveyed by the American Dental Association in 2021 and compounded by the pandemic. An online search also indicates that nearly 25 percent of Americans, some 30-40 million, routinely experience bruxism from different causes.

As Vasquez’s bruxism progressed to include pain and sensitivity issues, nightguards were fabricated by HPC in 2022. He began orthodontic treatment in 2025 as another short-term trial remedy. Along the way, he lost teeth, some by extraction.

The process

With braces beyond the scope of HPC’s dental services, Vasquez visited two local private practice orthodontia offices. Given the resulting high-cost estimates, the advanced extent of his condition and being without dental insurance at the time, Dr. Rastgoftar suggested he schedule a visit to UMKC, which could provide cost-effective orthodontic expertise and services within a supervised, student-in-training environment. Braces were installed at UMKC in February 2025 to repair Vasquez’s end-to-end overbite and as a precursor to crowns as a long-term solution.

Returning to HPC, Vasquez was quoted approximately $7,700 for six crowns, says Christina Cook, RDH, HPC’s dental operations manager.  As he considered deferring the procedure,  Vasquez enrolled in an insurance plan from Delta Dental of Kansas and United Way of The Plains that provided $3,000 of coverage for a nominal deductible and no waiting period.

With details settled, Vasquez visited Dr. Rickel twice for two-hour procedures to prepare three permanent and three temporary crowns. With all six teeth prepared, a final impression was taken and sent to the dental lab for fabrication of the crowns. A third visit to Dr. Rickel in May involved crown fitting, cementation and final x-rays. The patient returned to UMKC in early June where his orthodontist fabricated orthodontic retainers designed to prevent further grinding and to keep the new teeth straight.

The result

Vasquez’s out-of-pocket expense was $2,136, a fraction of the quoted amount. He benefitted greatly from the dental insurance and HPC’s sliding fee discount program. He no longer has the former pain and stress, and more importantly, feels more comfortable and confident among peers and his family, who share his joy.

This husband and father of four can now smile easily and broadly and is grateful for the healthcare, insurance and community-minded professionals who have guided his dental correction journey.

To learn more about dental services at HPC, call 913-276-7004 or visit us at hpcks.org/our-services/dental.

We are dedicated to improving the health of the communities we serve by providing high quality, affordable, accessible and appropriate care to all individuals regardless of their ability to pay. We are committed to serving as a vehicle for collaboration among community partners as a critical aspect of meeting our mission.