Our team knows we are lucky. Every day we get to see the difference a beautiful, healthy smile can make in a person’s life.
It’s the same idea behind two Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) programs– and we are proud to have been part of both– focusing on helping children from low-income families get access to free dental care.
Give Kids a Smile
The first is “Give Kids a Smile.” It used to occur on one designated day in February as part of National Children’s Dental Health Month, but turned into a bigger, state-wide effort to create awareness about the importance of good dental health, all year-round. Some of the numbers from 2014’s “Give Kids a Smile” reveal the true impact: $1-million worth of care and education donated, and according to the WDA, more than 14,000 underserved children received the dental treatment they needed, for free.
Donated Dental Services
The other program, and one we are currently active in, is “Donated Dental Services.” This expands the access to free dental treatment, and includes children, teens, and adults. It is available to families with a limited income, permanent disability, or chronic illness. The WDA reports, during the past 15 years, more than 700 volunteer dentists have donated $7.6-million in care to patients of all ages.
Community Dental Care
And while it may be hard to imagine a child not getting the care needed, we believe being able to help in such an important way, is what makes our profession so rewarding. Many of us work directly with free or reduced-rate community clinics to provide treatment, as well as public health departments, and school nurses to help identify, and arrange dental health care and education for children in need.
It’s our hope– that by fostering these healthy habits at a young age– it will lead to a beautiful, healthy smile for a lifetime.
