Why not have the healthy bright SoCal smile you deserve? And why not give yourself something really fulfilling to smile about?
So when teeth-whitening débuted back around 1990, I tried it out on friends, family, and team members (Shucks, most of mi famiglia had already survived my early clinical forays in dental school.)
And yeah, at first, I thought teeth-whitening was pretty superficial stuff. But before long, I changed my mind. Teeth-whitening was a slam-dunk; it worked and it was safe.
I had no idea where whiter, brighter smiles would lead. But because of teeth-whitening, we detected oral pre-cancers, diagnosed periodontal disease, and screened for hypertension. Patients reconnected with oral health; we even saved a few lives. But we were clueless about how many lives we could really touch.
2015 marks the seventeenth year of Smiles for Life (SFL.) Back in 1998, Doc Jeff Gray (one of my DDS buddies from down in San Diego,) came up with the idea of a network of dentists providing teeth whitening for patients at reduced fees with all the proceeds going to charity. Like me, Jeff is a member of Crown Council, a national organization of progressive dental practices also committed to giving back to the community.
This year, the Smiles for Life (SFL) campaign will again begin on March1 and extend through June. With the support of Crown Council and Ultradent Products, we’ll indeed be providing teeth-whitening for patients at reduced fees with all the proceeds going to helping sick, disabled, and disadvantaged children (just like Doc Gray dreamed).
Since the inception of Smiles for Life, Crown Council practices have raised over $35 million.
This year, half of the funds will again be distributed through the Crown Council to initiatives the Smiles for Life Foundation has chosen to support across North America. For instance, the money used to support our own Oral Cancer Awareness event with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes comes from this 50%. Additionally, the organization continues to have a very strong relationship with the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation and is deeply involved with the construction and maintaining of Child Life Zones in Children’s Hospitals (currently 11).
And the other half of the proceeds will go to an organization chosen by each participating dental practice.
In the past, we’ve directed funds to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Cure Autism Now, Junior Diabetes Research Foundation, Haven House of Pasadena, and Mattel Children’s Hospital-UCLA.
This year, we’ll be looking to create whiter, brighter, flashier smiles while, for the third year, we raise funds for our own local/national/global treasure, City of Hope.
During the past three years, cancer and diabetes claimed the laughter, spirit, and love of too many of our amazing Temple City Dental Care friends and family. And we do hold a grudge.
If you’d like to join us in holding cancer accountable, what better ally is there than the City of Hope?
Please consider giving yourself the SoCal smile you deserve. And why not give yourself something fulfilling to smile about?
To connect with a participating dental practice, please call us at 626/285-3161 or Crown Council at 800/276-9658.
