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Making a Difference: Free Smiles Wm. Randol Womack, DDS Editorial Director, Orthotown Magazine

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by Wm. Randol Womack, DDS, Board Certified Orthodontist
Editorial Director, Orthotown Magazine

A very interesting thing happened in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Dr. Ben Burris, an orthodontist, and his wife had a dream to form a network of orthodontists who would do pro-bono treatment for children who needed it the most and could afford it the least. In 2008 the Smile for a Lifetime Foundation was born. The model of this foundation is truly a stroke of genius with an orthodontist in selected geographic locations forming his own “board of directors” to screen applicants for pro-bono orthodontic treatment. Although this project is still in its infancy, the movement is gaining momentum. I asked Dr. Burris to share some background with me on the Smile for a Lifetime Foundation and to update me on its progress.

Why did you start this foundation?
Burris: Since my wife and I bought our first practice in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in August 2004, we have always done probono orthodontic treatment. A kid would come in desperately needing treatment but obtaining treatment was not financially feasible for the family. We would end up doing the treatment for free. I must admit, we loved doing it and we enjoyed giving back to the community that has done so much for us.

Things have changed substantially in our practice and we have been blessed beyond belief. Early in 2008 we decided that we wanted to do more free cases and provide braces for the children in the most need. We wanted to reach the kids and families who would never dream of coming to the orthodontist because it was so beyond their resources. Smile for a Lifetime is making these dreams come true. The model we created uses a board of directors composed of members of the community to get the word out to our target audience. The media coverage we generate is what drives school counselors, school nurses, case workers, teachers, hygienists, dentists and others to submit applications on behalf of great kids who are only held back by an easily correctable social handicap. It seems the more media coverage the foundation obtains, the more quality applications the board receives for consideration. By quality application I am suggesting a child who is full of potential and has a zeal for life. Orthodontics will make a tremendous change for them once their teeth are more socially acceptable.

Why did you take the foundation national?
Burris: I only intended to treat more free cases in Northeast Arkansas and expand our reach to those with the greatest need, but as I shared this with friends and colleagues, especially Drs. Candide Petrol, Don Montano and Mark Dake, I was encouraged to refine the model and share it with other orthodontists so that they might expand their pro-bono treatment program. I’ve found that most orthodontists do pro-bono work. Orthodontics is full of compassionate, generous people who understand how fortunate we are to be in the best possible profession. Therefore, we hired an executive director, Aimee Spencer. She and I set about refining the model to share with the rest of the country. Drs. Montano and Petrol were an integral part of developing Smile for a Lifetime to what it is today. They joined the foundation very early and started local chapters in their offices in California. Among the three chapters of the foundation, we were able to collaborate and strengthen our model. Essentially, Smile for a Lifetime went national because that is where it took us!

Who is the Schulman Study Group and why did they endorse this foundation?
Burris: The Schulman Study Group is a nationally recognized association of prominent orthodontic practices. This organization has developed over the last 30 years under the guidance of Martin “Bud” Schulman. He educated and encouraged orthodontists to achieve levels of practice performance never before considered possible. Membership is extended exclusively by invitation to sustain the same high standard and offers participants access to new technology and opportunities for innovation and insight that they would not otherwise find.

I was so fortunate to become a member of the Schulman Study Group in January 2008. I have never met a nicer group of professionals. The group’s motto, “Success through sharing,” dovetails perfectly with Smile for a Lifetime Foundation. I approached the Schulman Study Group about adopting the foundation in February 2009. The group voted unanimously to adopt Smile for a Lifetime. We have more than 30 Schulman Study Group orthodontists at various stages of starting their own local chapters of the foundation.

Who is on your National Board of Directors?
David Carter – Chairman, Orthodontist
Teresa Gast – Secretary/Treasurer, Partner at Cain, Watters and Assoc.
Ron Redmond – CEO of the Schulman Group, Orthodontist
LeeAnn Peniche – Orthodontic consultant, Owner of Peniche and Assoc.
Mark Dake – Orthodontist
Roger Hill – Partner, BMH Group
Kim Jenkins – Mass Media Marketing
Dick Levin – Owner, Triad Title, Lawyer

We have a brilliant, dynamic and diverse board of directors. I have immensely enjoyed learning from the different perspectives and points of view. We don’t always agree, but I think that the decisions that come from our discussions are first-rate. We are still shaping the national board and are looking for some very special individuals with unique skill sets to assist us in making Smile for a Lifetime Foundation the foremost orthodontic foundation while serving the children most in need across our nation.

How is your foundation different than Smiles Changes Lives?
I am often asked this question. Smiles Changes Lives is a great program that has been around for some time and has changed the lives of many children. What makes Smiles for a Lifetime Foundation different is the decentralized model for providing pro-bono care. Each orthodontist is “The Founder” for his or her local chapter of Smile for a Lifetime. That “founder” forms a local board of directors composed of leaders for their community (the board of directors is a key to success), and is seen to be giving back to his or her community in a meaningful way. We believe every community is different and the orthodontic providers should be allowed to adapt the model to his or her local area to insure the very best results.

What is so special about having a local board of directors for each chapter of the
Smile for a Lifetime Foundation?
The local board of directors is a significant factor to the foundation’s success. We stress to the orthodontists starting new chapters that careful selection of board members is what will make their local chapter a huge success and able to reach the kids in most need in their community. Examples of necessary board members are:
  • TV anchors
  • Radio personalities
  • Editors of local/regional newspapers
  • Editors of local/regional society magazines
  • Lawyers
  • Accountants
  • Bankers
  • Dentists/oral surgeons/hygienists
  • Civic leaders and community advocates
  • Members of government
  • YMCA directors
  • Junior league/junior auxiliary leaders
This prominent board instantly integrates the local chapter of Smile for a Lifetime Foundation into the community and media coverage is insured. The reason media coverage is important is the kids in most need and their families would never imagine orthodontic treatment is possible for them. Coverage of the foundation and what it is doing is the only way to reach these families. Many times it is a school counselor, teacher, case worker, etc. who fills out an application for these children. Press coverage helps us reach our target children.
Why take part in this foundation now?
In these troubling economic times, Smile for a Lifetime Foundation is the good news and feel-good story that can help people keep their heads up. In a time when corporate greed, lack of health insurance and financial ruin dominate the press, it is great to have examples of health-care providers giving back to their communities and changing lives for the better.

How do the children feel? Are they appreciative or embarrassed that they had to receive free treatment?
The kids are ecstatic! The only people more excited than the children are the parents. For most children growing up, braces have become the norm, as have straight teeth and a great smile. The children we work with are thrilled to get the smile of their dreams and the parents are so grateful that we give the kids the smile that they could never afford to give them. In fact, I’ve had a couple of parents tell me exactly that. Another interesting aspect that was not anticipated is the kids go from being made fun of for their mouth to superstars who have their pictures in the paper and are treated like rock stars while getting the smile of their dreams. It is an awesome experience for all involved.

What are the criteria a local board of directors uses to accept a child for treatment?
The local board of directors for Smile for a Lifetime in Northeast Arkansas looks at several things. All the applications that are submitted are compiled and the incomplete ones are returned with instructions for completing them (each application has a full face photo with a large smile, letters of recommendation and other personal info including household income). Just before the quarterly board meeting, the applications are photocopied along with supporting documents and a copy of each is given to each board member in a three-ring binder. Each of the 13 board members ranks their top 10 choices 1 to 10 based on severity of the dental problem, circumstances, potential, the story and anything else they choose. Once the top 10 are selected, I screen the top six (we treat two kids a quarter). I look for someone who has good OH [oral hygiene], a good attitude, punctuality, personal responsibility and someone who generally wants to cooperate with me. At this time we do not do cases that require a good deal of restorative work or jaw surgery since we have limited funds. If the top six candidates are acceptable then they will be the recipients of free orthodontic treatment. If one is not acceptable then another moves up the list (we have not had this happen yet). The selected candidates must produce tax returns and financial documents for the board to examine to make sure they fall under 130 percent of the poverty level and then treatment begins.

How can an orthodontist apply to participate in this project?
An orthodontist can request an application to start a local chapter of Smile for a Lifetime Foundation by contacting National Executive Director Aimee Spencer via e-mail: smileforalifetime@yahoo.com. The application allows the board to make sure that there is coordination among the orthodontists and chapters.

Does the American Association of Orthodontics (AAO) support your foundation?
The AAO is considering endorsing Smile for a Lifetime and we hope for this to happen in the near future.

I noticed on your Web site you accept donations. What happens to the money donated to Smile for a Lifetime?
Excellent question. I get asked this a lot. At the local level, the money goes toward printing, graphic work, legal fees (setting up and maintaining the entity), Web site, supplies and employment of a part-time employee to answer the phone, accept applications from patients, and compile and prepare applications for board meetings. They also encourage media coverage of the foundation to get people to apply for braces, etc., and also to pay for fillings, extractions and other dental work needed for a recipient. If there is ever extra money then it will be possible to treat surgery cases, CLP cases and patients with craniofacial anomalies (excess money has not been a problem yet). On the national level, we have one full-time employee, Web site expenses, legal expenses, accounting (big time expense for all the subchapters), printing, graphic design, etc. I would never have believed it took quite so much money to make it possible for a non-profit to do what it does. The orthodontists donate the space, braces, treatment, time and anything and everything to do with the kids getting braces, and are not paid in any way by the national or local foundation. The ortho companies have been good about donating supplies so I don’t think that will be an out-of-pocket expense for the orthodontist in the future once we arrange this on a national level. That’s the long answer. Each local chapter will also pay annual dues to the national board for marketing, legal work, Web site, accounting and to employ folks to facilitate starting and running local chapters. Hopefully we will get national corporate sponsors and/or private donations to take over funding the national board duties and costs but we have to start with what we have.

If you would like to support Smile for a Lifetime’s mission, or if you would like to join the cause, please visit www.S4L.org, e-mail smileforalifetime@yahoo.com, or call 870-972-0283.
Orthotown Magazine
November 2025
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