DENTAL CARE

Meet Our Dentist Marta E. Mejia, DDS >

Welcome to Big Sur Health Center Dental Care

Our office philosophy is to provide quality dental care to help maintain healthy and aesthetic smiles for years to come. We are committed to providing exceptional dental services in a professional, caring and friendly environment. We promote long-term health through preventive dentistry and patient education.

Our dental office provides personalized and gentle dental care for adults and children. At our office, we listen to our patients' concerns and tailor the treatment plan to meet each individual's needs. We enjoy getting to know our patients and establishing lasting relationships.

Our office is well-equipped with technological advancements such as digital X-rays, which help enhance patient care.

We welcome you to email bigsurdental@gmail.com or call our office at 831-667-2580 to request an appointment or express questions/concerns about your dental health. We look forward to your next visit!

To schedule an appointment:

• Call Big Sur Health Center at 831-667-2580
• Call Dr. Marta E. Mejia's direct line at 831-920-2404
• Email bigsurdental@gmail.com

Office Hours:
Wednesdays and Fridays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (lunch 1-2)

Insurance:
We accept the following dental insurance:

• Delta Dental
• Principal
• Ameritas
• Guardian
• Premier Access
• Aetna
• Anthem
• Most PPO insurances

We offer discounted fees of up to 50 percent for some procedures when patients with no insurance qualify for the sliding-fee scale.

Services include:

• Digital X-rays
• Comprehensive exam and treatment planning
• Tooth color restorations (fillings)
• Root canals
• Crowns and bridges
• Periodontal treatments (scaling and root planning)
• Teeth cleaning
• Extractions
• Partial dentures
• Full dentures
• Restoring implants with crowns, bridges, partials or dentures
• Referrals to specialists will be made when procedures are beyond the scope of the Big Sur Health Center Dental Care.

Note: If you have X-rays from a prior dentist, please have that dentist e-mail the X-rays to bigsurdental@gmail.com prior to your exam date.

Meet Our Dentist Marta E. Mejia, DDS

Marta Mejia escaped war-torn El Salvador at age 19, arriving in Los Angeles without the ability to speak English.

Today she leads the technologically advanced dental office at the Big Sur Health Center, providing quality periodontal care for the community, and its surroundings.

Through hard work and tenacity, Mejia became fluent in English, took a dental assistant's course and worked for an orthodontist. Then in 1991 she graduated from Northwestern University as a doctor of dental surgery.

With more than 22 years of experience, Mejia's goal is to make every patient's dental experience comfortable and free from anxiety. "We want you motivated to come back and get the best dental health possible," she said. "I believe dental health in turn will have a positive effect in your overall health."

The bilingual Mejia is committed to the Big Sur Health Center and her patients and looks forward to serving and developing a long relationship with residents in Big Sur and surrounding communities. Mejia has broad experiences on her resume. In 1993 she bought a practice in Porterville, Calif., growing it from three treatment rooms, two doctors and four staff member to six treatment rooms, three doctors, and 14 staff members. In 2008 she formed a dental partnership in Riverside, Calif., and started dental assistant internship training.

Wanting to find an under-served community to help, she left Riverside and moved to Etna, Calif., working for a Native American tribe on the Quartz Valley Indian Reservation. She ran the Anav Tribal Health Clinic for nearly three years, earning recognition as "best performing" among Native American Programs.

"I am proud of the accomplishments made and the recognitions received and was happy to hand a very successful program over to the new dental director," she said.

Moving to Monterey County has been a dream come true for Mejia. "I love the weather, the people, the activities I am involved in (walking, jogging, dancing), and providing dental services to a community in need, and have been received with tremendous warmth."

Things Mejia Wants Patients to Know

- Our food and nutrition for most of us enters through the mouth. It is important to have a healthy mouth in order for the food and nutrients we consume to become beneficial to our bodies.

- There is a high correlation between the disease Periodontitis (disease of the gums and bone supporting the teeth) and diabetes and heart disease.

-Periodontitis can be self-assessed (bad breath, bleeding gums when brushing or flossing, receding gums, dark or yellowish deposits at the gum line around the teeth).Usually there is no pain associated with this disease. When the disease reaches an advanced stage, teeth become loose due to the bone no longer supporting the teeth.

- Once teeth are restored and mouth deemed disease free, it is recommended to maintain the check-ups and teeth cleaning every 6 months.