By Alison Morton.
People often imagine recovery as something that happens in a counseling room, a medical office, or a support group. But in my experience working with patients through the UNC REACH Dental Clinic, recovery often begins somewhere far more unexpected: the dental chair.
One of my patients recently told me she spends hours each week trying to manage unrelenting tooth pain. She has visited multiple clinics, missed work, and still cannot find relief. The spaces left behind from earlier tooth extractions make her feel embarrassed to smile, and she worries people judge her before she has a chance to speak. She is ready to rebuild her life, but the discomfort and stigma tied to her oral health are constant barriers.
Another patient, further along in his recovery journey, had quit tobacco six months earlier—a remarkable achievement. Yet every morning he is reminded of his old habit when he looks in the mirror and sees the deep brown staining it left on his teeth. He has replaced cigarettes with running, a healthier routine he is proud of, but the lingering evidence of his past makes it harder to feel like he has truly turned the page.
These two individuals have very different dental needs: one may require endodontic therapy and prosthodontic care; the other likely just a thorough cleaning. But their stories share a message we cannot afford to overlook: oral health is not cosmetic to recovery—it is foundational.
Dental pain steals time, energy, and stability. Missing teeth can limit job prospects and fuel harmful assumptions about a person’s character or history. Lingering stains or untreated disease can tether someone emotionally to a version of themselves they are working hard to leave behind. For people navigating substance use recovery, severe mental illness, recent incarceration, housing insecurity, or disability, the mouth becomes more than a site of disease. It is a site of identity, confidence, and possibility.
Yet dentistry is often the last service incorporated into recovery-oriented care. Many programs integrate primary care, mental health, peer support, and social work—essential components—but exclude dental providers entirely. This gap has consequences. Untreated oral pain can derail a patient’s ability to work, sleep, or focus on counseling. Missing or damaged teeth can become visible markers that reinforce stigma. And procedural delays can undermine a patient’s momentum at the exact moment when they are trying to move forward.
The solution is simple: dentistry must be included in interdisciplinary recovery environments.
Not as an optional referral, not as a luxury service, but as a core component of rehabilitation.
At the UNC REACH Dental Clinic, we witness the difference this integration makes. When someone receives a properly fitting prosthesis that restores function and dignity, they begin to approach job interviews differently. When a patient finally gets out of pain after months of distress, they can redirect energy toward stability instead of survival. When we remove the tobacco staining that constantly reminds someone of their past, they are empowered to embrace their future.
Recovery is a whole-person journey. We cannot claim to treat the whole person if we ignore their oral health.
Here is what we can do:
Health systems should incorporate dental providers into collaborative care teams serving vulnerable populations.
Clinicians—medical, dental, behavioral health, and allied health—should actively refer to one another and recognize oral health as a determinant of recovery, not an afterthought.
Policymakers and funders should prioritize models that embed dental services into recovery-focused programs.
And the public can advocate for oral health access by supporting community clinics, encouraging comprehensive benefits, and pushing back against stigma rooted in appearance.
Recovery already asks so much of the people going through it. Dentistry can remove barriers, restore dignity, and—sometimes—offer a fresh start.
It’s time to bring oral health into the recovery conversation.
Alison Morton
UNC Adams School of Dentistry, DDS Candidate 2027
2025–2026 BCBSNC Albert Schweitzer Fellow
The views expressed are the author’s own.