After six years serving low-income people on Vashon, the dental van is not scheduled to return.

Operated by Medical Teams International  and staffed by volunteers, the service has ended because coordinator Hilary Emmer and dentist Cliff Eckman are retiring from their longtime posts.

Taking a break between patients last Wednesday, Eckman,79, expressed mixed feelings.

“I am not sad to be retiring,” he said. “But I am sad that the service is not going to be continuing.”

Going forward, The Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness (IFCH) has some funds for dental emergencies, according to IFCH president Emma Amiad, and Apple Health now covers dental care at participating dentists, including two not far from Vashon: Seattle Dental Clinic and SeaMar White Center Dental Clinic.

“We started (bringing the van) because there was no option,” Amiad said. “Now there is.”

In the case of dental emergencies, islanders needing care should call Nancy Vanderpool with IFCH, or if they were patients at the van and need their records, they should call Emmer.

Amiad also noted that social service providers may try to bring the van back again in the future if they determine there is a large need.