Dental hygienist Carly Clark doesn’t typically clean teeth in a dentist’s office. Instead, her office travels with her. Armed with a mouth mirror, a half-dozen scalers, and a folding table, Clark rolls into Portland hospices, nursing homes, and assisted living centers to provide dental cleanings. She’ll polish teeth as her clients lie in bed; she attacks plaque couch-side. And then she packs it all up and heads for her next patient.
Clark’s business, Mobile Dental Hygiene PDX, is one of a handful of mobile dental practices in the city, designed for people who cannot easily leave their homes. Some focus on hygiene and cosmetics—things like cleanings, whitening,
or fluoride treatments—while others go even further, offering in-home X-rays, root canals, crowns, and implants…