Message Boards
Today's Active Topics Today's Active Cases Browse Forum Categories My Recent Activity My Messages Private Groups My Marked Threads My Subscriptions
Today's Active Images Today's Active Polls Most Active Topics Global Townie Map Advanced Message Board Search Message Board Terms of Use

Give the Gift of a Lifetime of Smiles

Start Discussion
Posted: December 8, 2010
Give the Gift of a Lifetime of Smiles
by Aimee Spencer

The holiday season is a time of celebration and giving, with many practitioners using it as an opportunity to support one or more charitable causes through the generous contribution of time or financial support. In addition to the satisfaction that comes from knowing you’ve made a difference in your community or in the life of an individual, there can be a host of other benefits as well, including the opportunity for tax benefits, heightened practice differentiation and greater visibility in the community that can help attract new business.

One of the most rewarding ways for orthodontic practitioners to give back this holiday season is by quite literally giving the gift of a beautiful smile to an under-served child. Smile for a Lifetime Orthodontic Foundation is a national non-profit organization that provides a locally-managed approach to delivering direct care to patients in your community whose families lack the financial means to pay for their own orthodontic treatment.

By becoming involved in Smile for a Lifetime, practitioners have the opportunity to provide life-changing orthodontic treatment that improves the appearance and self-confidence of patients in need. As a result, this investment may have a long-term impact on the future of your community, as numerous studies and anecdotal evidence indicate the positive affect a confident smile can have on the professional achievement of an individual—which translates directly into improved economic opportunity for both the patient as well as the community.

Chances are that you’re probably already providing some pro-bono care in your community. In doing so, you may also face difficulty in deciding who to treat with limited resources.

Smile for a Lifetime eliminates this time-consuming and often difficult decision-making process by providing a locally-run system for screening and selecting potential candidates. Each family (and child) is required to submit an application complete with character references from relatives, neighbors, teachers or coaches to the local Smile for a Lifetime chapter. Each chapter is comprised of a dynamic group of local professionals who choose patients for treatment based on treatment need, financial circumstances and the appeal made in the nomination letter.

Through a generous partnership with Ormco (www.ormco.com), as a Smile for a Lifetime provider you have the opportunity treat each chosen child with the most advanced orthodontic appliances on the market, all provided free of charge. Ormco generously donates your brackets of choice to best suit each patient case—a wonderful way to introduce or further instill the use of these innovative products, known for their superior quality, into your practice.

In addition to the satisfaction that comes from knowing you’ve treated the under-served patient with the most advanced technology on the market, Smile for a Lifetime is an excellent opportunity to raise visibility and awareness for your practice in the community. By providing state-of-the-art pro bono care with the predictable and accurate results Ormco products deliver, participating orthodontists benefit from the positive outreach that can drive new business and help grow a practice.

To become involved with this life-changing group, visit www.S4L.org for more information on starting your own local chapter. The national board provides structure and support to help you deliver direct care in your community. Local chapters consist of 8-12 individuals with specific skill sets, as well as a high level of integrity and morals, who will evaluate candidates and provide support for local activities. Local boards of should include a diverse set of individuals with knowledge and experience in the nonprofit sector, a wide range of skill sets to support a variety of activities (including legal, financial, media/marketing or administration), good community resources and/or contacts, exemplary character, and a passion for the mission of the group. The provider is not required to sit on the local board of directors.

Each participating provider treats a minimum of six cases per year, but may accept as many additional cases as desired. And, of course, all treatment appliances are provided free of charge by Ormco, to minimize out of pocket expenses.

This holiday season, as you gather with friends and family to celebrate the spirit of giving, consider the opportunity to provide a lifetime of beautiful, dazzling smiles to children in your community. The gift of your time and professional talent, paired with the support and supplies from Smile for a Lifetime and Ormco, will be of benefit to your patients and your practice for generations to come.

Views: 22
Start Discussion
Orthotown Magazine
September 2025
Orthotown Magazine September 2025 Read Current Issue Read Archived Issues
Sponsors
Site Menu
Message Boards Magazine Continuing Education Podcasts Blogs Classifieds News Events Townie® Poll Ebooks Townie Choice Awards
Company Info
Contact Us Advertise With Us Howard Farran DDS, MBA Policies and Agreements
Site Help
Sally Gross, Member Services Specialist
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: sally@farranmedia.com
©2025 Orthotown, a division of Farran Media • All Rights Reserved
9633 S. 48th Street Suite 200 • Phoenix, AZ 85044 • Phone:+1-480-598-0001 • Fax:+1-480-598-3450