Product Profile


Smiles Change Lives

Since 1997, Smiles Change Lives (SCL) has been connecting caring orthodontists with children in need. Since the program's national expansion in 2010, SCL now has 450 orthodontic providers who provide pro-bono care to approved SCL cases.

SCL has served more than 1,500 children in its history, with a goal of helping an additional 700 qualified kids in 2011. The program is well-known for its rigorous application and screening process to ensure that providers receive motivated and deserving cases for treatment. SCL boasts a 100 percent patient completion rate for the past three years and closely monitors compliance rates to ensure that each provider has a positive experience treating SCL cases.

Eligibility
SCL serves children who:
  • Are aged 10-18
  • Have moderate to severe malocclusion
  • Have documented good oral hygiene
  • Have taxable family income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level
  • Are willing to pay a $500 program fee to SCL to ensure compliance
The Process
First applicants submit a completed application at www.smileschangelives.org/apply. SCL reviews and compiles all the information to determine eligibility. If the applicant meets all the guidelines, he or she must attend an orthodontic screening at a local dental school which partners with SCL or at a local SCL provider's office who wishes to assist with occasional applicant screening.

From here, the applicant is reviewed by the SCL National Review Panel of Orthodontists, notified of the decision and is assigned to an SCL provider for comprehensive orthodontic treatment. SCL currently approves an average of 70 percent of applicants.

Due to a rapid increase in applicants from across the U.S., Smiles Change Lives is in need of more providers in ever y state. Approximately 125 qualified, motivated youth are awaiting placement with a caring, dedicated orthodontist.

Expectations of Providers
There are no fees, fundraising or chapters that need to be established. Additionally, each practice simply selects how many approved SCL cases to treat annually, with a national average of three SCL cases per orthodontic provider. Each practice has the right to request or refuse any case assigned to them or change the number of SCL cases from year to year.

Providers are asked to submit a list of referring dentists to SCL. SCL will issue information to those referral sources to help brand the orthodontic practice as a caring corporate citizen and to begin generating high quality applicants from dental professionals.

SCL also provides a number of marketing opportunities, media support, branded office display items and corporate resources to make giving back easy and rewarding.

Contact Information
Practices interested in joining the program can visit http://www.smileschangelives.org/for-orthodontists/provider-overview/ or contact Director of Marketing Andrea Umbreit at andrea@smileschangelives.org or 816-421-4949, ext. 229 to obtain paperwork to join the program. For an up-to-date list of orthodontic practices already in the program, visit www.smileschangelives.org/orthos.
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Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: sally@farranmedia.com
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