An uncontrollably painful toothache during the overnight hours is an agony Dr. James Rolfe has decided to remedy. Armed with 84 years of age, decades of experience, and daytime colleagues, Dr. Rolfe recently extended the hours of care in his busy South Patterson office to after-hours patients. He states his is the only dental urgent care in the greater Santa Barbara area that offers 24-hour, seven-day-a-week immediate dental care.
A self-identified “humanitarian in [his] spare time,” Dr. Rolfe has made it his life’s mission to provide dental care to those who need it most. His most notable contribution to the dental profession comes from his extensive work in Afghanistan, building clinics out of shipping containers and training locals to efficiently operate them, clinics that are struggling to operate under the Taliban regime.
Dr. Rolfe funds his dental practices through unique means that enable him to live on just $1,000 a month — this in a city ranked fifth on the list of Most Expensive Places to Live in the Country, according to the U.S. News & World Report. For many years, he has been an urban forager, a sustainable method to get all sustenance for little to no money by dumpster diving, searching for chanterelles among trees, and taking advantage of estate sales. Any profits from his dental practice subsequently go right back into providing accessible care for his Santa Barbara and Afghan patients.
Dr. Rolfe’s office is located at 122 South Patterson, Building A, Suite 115, and is currently accepting new patients. Dr. Rolfe himself is accepting calls for urgent dental care at his cell number, (805) 448-2812.
