In honor of National Volunteer Week, we’d like to share a volunteer initiative near and dear to our hearts: Free Dentistry Day.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 108 million Americans are living without dental insurance. The importance of consistent dental care is overwhelming, as the signs and symptoms of over 100 medical conditions, including diabetes, HIV/AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s disease and oral cancer may be first detected through traditional oral examinations.
Our Free Dentistry Day program was initially created in 2010 to provide free dental care to the growing number of Americans without dental insurance. We encourage our supported doctors and team members to host a Free Dentistry Day at least once a year – that’s over 8,000 people making a difference in their communities. This year, we’re challenging them to go even further. In December, many of our supported doctors made pledges to go above and beyond giving back to their communities. Therefore, we’re hoping to increase Free Dentistry Day efforts, compared to last year, by 20%.
We love to help our supported doctors and team members give back to their communities, and they love getting involved. Through these national events, they are able to share their time and resources with those less fortunate and educate patients on the importance of dental health. Besides growing closer to community members, these events give our supported doctors and team members an opportunity to grow as a team.
Since this program was developed in 2010, our supported offices have donated over $8.8 million in free dentistry, assisting more than 10,000 patients in reaching their dental health goals.
What’s the catch, you ask?
That’s the beauty of a Free Dentistry Day – there is no catch. Our supported doctors believe in doing the right things for the right reasons. It is truly gratifying to see the impact these events can have on the life of a person. We often hear from supported doctors and team members that say, “The patient thinks we’re changing their life, but really they’re changing ours.”
Check out this video (made in 2015) to see how Free Dentistry Day has changed the lives of supported doctors, team members and patients all over the country.