PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Health care leaders are celebrating a new dental clinic opening Monday on Prairie Avenue in Providence.

The goal is to help underserved adults, and staff said there’s a lot of people in need.

“We are very happy to be able to open this clinic,” Merrill Thomas, CEO of Providence Community Health Centers, said.

The organization has been helping kids and pregnant woman with dental care, along with some adults at a smaller Crossroads clinic, but the new multimillion-dollar space will allow for a big expansion.

Delta Dental of Rhode Island and federal funding helped with the cost.

Exams, X-rays and procedures like fillings can all be performed.

“We will be able to see probably at least a 60% increase in patients,” Matthew Blackey, director of Dental at Providence Community Health Centers, said.

Staff said there’s a big need for better access to dental care in Providence. Many clients coming here will be covered under Medicaid, while others will pay on sliding scale.

“In Providence, there is only one dentist for every 12,822 residents classified as low-income or covered by Medicaid. This translates to about eight dentists for every 100,000 people, which is well below the ratio elsewhere in both Rhode Island and nationally,” Blackey said.

Adding oral care also has an impact on overall health and quality of life.

“If you have missing teeth, it’s hard to get job interviews, it’s hard to eat food, it’s hard to have confidence as a person,” Thomas said.

Three full-time dentists will work at the facility.

Staff said the Crossroads location will be phased out as patients come to the new location.