Episode 7: Dentistry on Wheels: Bringing Care Home to New Jersey’s Homebound Seniors

Episode Summary:

For many older adults in New Jersey, accessing dental care isn’t as simple as scheduling an appointment. Transportation challenges, mobility limitations, chronic illnesses, and caregiving responsibilities mean thousands of seniors go years—sometimes decades—without seeing a dentist. The result is a growing crisis of preventable oral disease among New Jersey’s homebound and medically fragile seniors.

In this episode of NJ Word of Mouth, we sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Ike, founder of Comfort Home Dental, one of the state’s emerging fully mobile dental practices. She shares how mobile dentistry is changing the way care is delivered—by meeting patients exactly where they are. We explore the growing needs of homebound seniors, the realities and logistics of delivering care outside the traditional office setting, and why mobile dental care is becoming an essential part of New Jersey’s oral health landscape.

From heart-wrenching patient stories to the operational challenges of practicing in living rooms and hospital beds, Dr. Ike reveals a side of dentistry most clinicians never see—but one that is increasingly vital as the state’s population ages. This episode highlights the promise, the pressures, and the profound impact of mobile dentistry on access to care and patient dignity.