Having nice pearly whites can be a total confidence booster, but a trip to the dentist is not something everyone can afford. That’s where Manos de Cristo steps in.
Manos de Cristo helps people who struggle to make ends meet access dental care.
Rev. Frank Diaz founded the nonprofit in 1988 with a church member after he noticed parishioners waited months to see a dentist and had to pull their teeth. Today, Manos de Cristo operates a standalone dental center that offers comprehensive exams, cleanings, and extractions at reduced costs. It also oversees a food pantry and clothes closet and has educational offerings, ranging from English as a second language to computer skills classes.
The nonprofit serves about 1,500 people each month and gets around 300 calls on the first day of the month from people trying to book an appointment.
“We’re really designed for people that do not have insurance or that are underinsured, which is a lot of people,” said Julie Ballesteros, executive director of Manos de Cristo. “Even if you do have dental insurance, most dental plans don’t cover very much.”
Aside from high prices, waiting to get treatment is another problem, with some community clinics having wait times up to six months.
“That’s why we’re here, so you don’t have to sit at home in pain,” Ballesteros said. “Our goal is to keep people out of emergency rooms, to take care of the immediate and to get people out of pain and back to work or back to school as quickly as possible.”
Rocco Sansone, 52, suffered from a bicycle accident when he was 12 years old that caused a hole to form over time in one of his front teeth. He hadn’t gone to the dentist since the incident, which made him nervous.
“The dentist is usually a scary thing, even when you’re younger,” Sansone said. “As an adult, if you haven’t been there for a while, you’re not gonna get a good rapport.”
When Sansone visited Manos de Cristo upon his fiancée’s recommendation, his fears were alleviated.
“The staff here is really nice,” Sansone said. “They explained everything to me as they were doing it because sometimes I’m like, ‘What’s going on, what is all this equipment?’” After seeing his new smile, his mood immediately shifted.
“It’s amazing how much better you automatically start feeling every day when you wake up,” Sansone said. “It was such a nightmare of not having teeth.”
It’s common to see patients worry about visiting the dentist, but Manos de Cristo’s dental center changes their perception.
“They finish their treatment and they’re like, ‘That wasn’t that bad,” said Stephanie Rodriguez, a general dentist at Manos de Cristo. “Someone who was fearful of going to the dentist, and now they’re hugging me when they leave.”
This article appears in November 28 • 2025.