“It was an amazing day full of amazing patients and an even more amazing team.” – Tammy Basnett, Smile Brands Inc. Director of Market Operations for the Cleveland and Midwest Cities.
Volunteers from Smile Brands affiliated Bright Now! Dental offices all around the Northern Ohio area came together on Saturday morning to provide free dental services to the local low-income community. Patients served include underserved youth, adults overcoming hardships, victims of domestic violence, and even the homeless. “[It was] very rewarding, truly an Everyday Miracle day that will stay with us for a lifetime!” Tammy continues.
Providers and support staff who volunteered their time this past Saturday were able to provide services to almost 70 patients. Procedures include checkups, cleanings, oral cancer screenings, fluoride treatments, fillings, and extractions. Services provided during this Day of Giving amounted to nearly $80,000 in donated dentistry.
Elizabeth and Kaleb Williams have been working to overcome some tough times in their life and have not had the time or resources to care for their teeth in quite some time. Although this was a free event, Elizabeth said the care she received was at the level of excellence she would have expected at a paying dental appointment. She thinks the Bright Now! Dental team was very caring and compassionate. “Thank you for providing your time and resources during this difficult time in our life; your care and genuine concern are so much appreciated,” she says.
At only 28 years old, Jesse Tarson was experiencing serious decay on all of his upper teeth and some of his bottom teeth as well. Dr. Imad Nouneh identified this problem and wanted to do more than extract the decaying teeth. With the partnership of the Smiles for Everyone Foundation, and the generosity of both Dr. Nouneh and Dr. Jose Jabboure, Jesse will be transferred over to the Foundation’s Smile Makeover program and receive a full top and partial bottom denture at no cost to him. When the team told him that the doctors wanted to volunteer their time to give him his Smile back, he could not stop crying. “It’s been so long since I’ve smiled,” he says. The Foundation looks forward to sharing more of his story and his before and after photos once the procedures are complete.
Smiles for Everyone Foundation will be back in Ohio delivering Smiles to the Huber Heights community in August. The next Day of Giving for this year will be in partnership with Monarch Dental in Burleson, TX on Saturday, April 7, 2018.
