Expanding Access to Dental Care on the Navajo Nation For families across the Navajo Nation, a dental appointment can mean more than scheduling time off from work or school. It can mean finding enough money for gas, arranging transportation, and spending hours on the road to reach care that many communities take for granted. In Shiprock, New Mexico, Nizhóní Smiles is helping change that reality by making affordable dental and orthodontic services available closer to home. Nizhóní Smiles is the only nonprofit dental program located on the Navajo Nation. Opened in 1994, the clinic has served thousands of children, adults, and elders from Shiprock and surrounding rural communities, offering a local option that helps families avoid long, costly trips for treatment. For Board Chair Dr. Darlene Sorrell, the work is deeply personal. Dr. Sorrell, the first Navajo dentist, recently retired from a long career with the Indian Health Service, but her commitment to oral health care on the Navajo Nation has not slowed. She feels a strong responsibility to help ensure members of her tribe receive excellent dental care without the added burden of traveling long distances. |
Above picture: Nizhóní Smiles Shiprock Community Health Fair
Through the Anchorum Community Health Donor Advised Fund, held at the New Mexico Community Foundation, Nizhóní Smiles received a grant to strengthen its operations and expand access to essential oral health services. That support is helping the clinic recruit and retain dental professionals, update critical equipment, maintain a safe facility, and continue outreach with local schools and community health partners. The need remains significant. COVID-19 placed additional strain on an already limited rural oral health system, reducing patient visits and making it harder for the clinic to replace aging equipment or needed staff positions. Today, Nizhóní Smiles is rebuilding its capacity while continuing to provide preventive care, restorative services, orthodontic support, oral health education, and school-based screenings and fluoride applications. For a parent who would otherwise drive hours for a child’s braces, or an elder who needs restorative care but cannot easily travel, access close to home is more than convenience; it is dignity, prevention, and peace of mind. Nizhóní Smiles is a shining example of why the New Mexico Community Foundation has formalized its funding priorities to include Thriving Indigenous, a fund that supports Indigenous-led and Indigenous-serving solutions that advance health, dignity, and opportunity for tribes and pueblos. The clinic’s work reflects what is possible when local knowledge, trusted relationships, and sustained resources come together so every smile can thrive. |
