MusiCares provides health and human services to music professionals across the country, but they can't — and don't — do it alone. And when it comes to brightening the smiles of clients who are in need of dental care, MusiCares teams with Nashville-based Walk-In Dental Clinics, run by Dr. Archie Bertrand.

Speaking with Dr. Bertrand for even just a few minutes, it becomes immediately apparent how much he cares about the work he does and the patients he serves.

"It's a privilege for all of us, and it's very much so a privilege for myself," says Bertrand. "I appreciate the confidence that MusiCares has in me to provide care for their clientele."

Walk-In Dental Clinics provides MusiCares clients with the essential dental work they need at little to no cost, a service that exemplifies the MusiCares mission and illustrates the generosity of Dr. Bertrand, who has been leading his team to serve MusiCares clients at his private clinic since 2009.

"About eight or nine years ago, [MusiCares] started sending patients to me at a non-profit clinic, and I found that the clients that were coming to see me were so nice, and I really enjoyed the organization," he says. "Then eventually, I opened up a private practice, and I let [MusiCares] know that, you know if they still need me to take care of their patients, I would be privileged to do so, and they had faith in me." 

What exactly do these dental clinics have to offer? Dr. Bertrand says they perform a variety of "extractions, crowns, bridges, we do a bunch of periodontics as far as cleanings and stuff like that, and restorative dentistry," but the most crucial treatment they offer are regular dental checkups, "to head off any potential problems … and keep people's mouths healthy."

According to Bertrand, early detection of any type of dental issue is extremely important.

"If you catch issues ahead of time and prevent someone's tooth from deteriorating or fill some fillings when they're very shallow, it's a lot better than waiting until they're deep or need root canals or crowns, so that’s my credo around here: Catch it early! Come see me every six months."

Serving the music community in this way is not just a duty for the team at Walk-In Clinics, it's also a pleasure.

"I love the musicians, the songwriters, the engineers, I just love their mindset," raves Dr. Bertrand. "They tend to be very good people and I just love the diversity associated with that — all sorts of walks of life coming in and sitting down and talking and getting some healthcare taken care of. I love it."

Dr. Bertrand's parting advice to any music professional on the fence about utilizing the services offered through MusiCares, or any harboring a childhood fear of the dentist into their adult life: "Get in early … it doesn't hurt. So that when you come out [of the dental clinic], you still won't be hurting."

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