What We've Learned from 10 Years of Donated Dentistry

Since 2011, Smile Generation-trusted offices have opened their doors on the third Saturday in August to provide donated dentistry to patients in need. We've worked with various organizations including After Innocence, Dental Lifeline Network, Special Olympics, Veterans of America in Arizona, and the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, to name a few. As we look back, here are the top ten things we've learned about serving others and the power of serving our communities.

• A confident smile holds all the power. Every year we treat patients who have lost all of their confidence due to their smile. This often makes it harder for them to maintain relationships, nail that job interview, or even continue performing at their current job. In 2018 we met Sherry, who struggled with confidence due to her smile. You can watch her incredible journey to a restored smile and a newly found confidence here. 
  
  
• Teamwork makes the dream work. Smile Generation-trusted dental offices have been able to serve over $32 million in donated dentistry in the last 10 years. Without the support of every clinician and their team members, these patients would not have been able to receive this life-changing care on Serve Day.
  
  
• A smile is contagious. "Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." – Mother Teresa. Smile Generation Serve Day allows those across the country to receive a smile so that they can return it to others, bringing kindness and love to strangers around the world.
  
  
•  There truly is power in numbers. 800+ Smile Generation-trusted offices across the country have donated over 200,000 hours and served over 19,000 patients in the last 10 years — patients. Patients who otherwise may have never received the dentistry they needed.
  
  
• Serving is in our DNA. Whether it is an office in Sacramento, CA or Miami, FL, one thing is for certain: Smile Generation-trusted offices serve their communities. Serving has always been at the core of what we do. In addition to Smile Generation Serve Day, we partner with organizations locally, nationally, and internationally to bring smiles to others throughout the year. Learn more about how we give back. 
  
  
•  Oral health = Overall health. We are passionate about The Mouth-Body Connection. New research has emerged showing a connection between periodontal disease and the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. So now more than ever, taking care of your oral health is important! Throughout the years we have seen how the overall health of patients improves after receiving free dental work. Here's a story from George, who received donated dentistry in 2019 as he explains how it made a positive impact on his life. 
  
  
• "Be the reason someone smiles." – Roy T. Bennett In all that we do, it is important to lead with kindness. No matter what the act of kindness looks like, it begins with putting someone else's needs before our own.
  
  
• Happy tears are a real thing. Patients have received a myriad of dental treatments such as CEREC same-day crowns, dental implants, inlays, onlays, and dentures, all of which completely transform their smiles. When a patient sees their new smile and our teams see the joy spread across their face, everything else pauses. In this exact moment, we are connected to each other and our tears are met with smiles.
  
  
•  No matter what, WE SERVE. This year has been a rollercoaster and would have been the year to stay home. Instead, Smile Generation-trusted clinicians from coast to coast came together (while safely social distancing!) and contributed to serve a bigger purpose. Together, they rallied together and opened their doors on Saturday, August 15 to provide donated dentistry to their patients and communities who needed it now more than ever.
  
  
• "I've found when people engage in the physical act of service – of giving oneself and one's time and talents to serving others – it changes our hearts and minds about what is truly important in life." – Stephen E. Thorne IV, Founder and CEO of Pacific Dental Services. When we think of serving others, we are quick to assume that the one receiving care is the who is having a life-changing moment. That couldn't be farther from the truth. For the past ten years, we have seen that those who serve with us on Serve Day experience a transformative day that is followed by a life of service.

 

It has been our honor to serve our communities these past ten years. We look forward to continuing our service in bringing smiles to so many.