A major expansion is underway for Community Smiles Dental, and it will bring dental care closer to thousands of Milwaukee-area children.

In Spring 2027, we will open our first Milwaukee clinic at The Beacon, Aurora Health Care’s new health and wellness hub at 27th and Wisconsin Avenue on Milwaukee’s Near West Side.

And today, we are officially inviting our community to help make it possible.

Community Smiles Dental has launched an $8.2 million campaign to build, equip and support our new Milwaukee clinic, expanding access to high-quality, compassionate dental care for thousands of children and individuals with special health care needs.

Milwaukee needs more access to dental care

For too many Milwaukee families, finding a dentist who accepts Medicaid can be incredibly difficult.

Approximately 84,000 children in the Milwaukee area struggle to access dental care because of the limited number of clinics accepting Medicaid. We see that need firsthand. Many Milwaukee families already travel outside the city to receive care at our clinics in Waukesha and Menomonee Falls.

Our new clinic will bring that care closer to home.

Located on the top floor of The Beacon, the approximately 7,000-square-foot clinic will include 12 dental operatories equipped to provide comprehensive dental care. Its location alongside other health and wellness providers will also create new opportunities to connect families with services in one convenient place.

The clinic’s proximity to the Marquette University School of Dentistry will offer another exciting opportunity: expanding hands-on learning experiences for future dental professionals while introducing more students to the importance of community-based dental care.

We’re already nearly 70% of the way there

Thanks to an extraordinary group of foundations, businesses, partners and individual donors, 70% of our $8.2 million campaign goal has already been raised. That early support has brought us to an incredible milestone. Now we’re asking our broader community to help us finish the job. Funds raised through the campaign will help us build and equip the new clinic, expand access to care and create the long-term stability needed to serve Milwaukee families for years to come.

As Community Smiles Dental CEO Scott Marshall shared, families regularly travel 30 or 40 minutes simply to find a dental provider for a child who is uninsured or enrolled in Medicaid. This clinic will mean something much simpler, and much more important: more children will be able to get the dental care they need closer to home.

You can be part of what comes next

Every gift moves us closer to opening our doors in Milwaukee. Whether you have supported Community Smiles Dental for years or are learning about our work for the first time, we invite you to be part of this next chapter. Together, we can create a trusted dental home for thousands more children and individuals with special health care needs throughout Southeast Wisconsin.

Support the Milwaukee Clinic Campaign

Interested in discussing a campaign gift? Please contact:

Tammy Cantillon
Vice President of Development & Communications
[email protected]
262-624-8092