$1.2 Million Donation from SS White Helps Clinics Provide Care to More Kids

When Edward* brought his family to their local food pantry in Summit, New Jersey to pick up fresh produce, his children had more than hungry bellies. Sadly, his four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son had learned to live with dental pain.

Everything changed for them that day when Edward learned that the one of our Dental Resource Program members, KinderSmile, would be visiting the food pantry to connect families with essential dental services.

As the team from KinderSmile examined his children, they discovered 12 cavities and the need for multiple root canals, deep fillings and extractions for Edward’s daughter, and eight cavities in her little brother’s mouth. It was a story KinderSmile has seen before; delayed treatment turning minor tooth decay into an urgent dental crisis.

Unfortunately, for families like Edward’s dental care is a luxury that is often out of reach for many reasons.

In communities with high poverty rates or a shortage of affordable dental care providers, safety-net clinics like KinderSmile can struggle to keep up with demand. Children who live in these communities often wait a year or longer to get an appointment, leading to more costly treatment.

“Dental insurance, transportation, and inconvenient hours for working parents are some of the barriers that underserved communities typically face,” KinderSmile’s Founder and CEO, Dr. Nicole McGrath-Barnes told us.

Although their monthly supply expenses have nearly doubled in recent years, they are not seeking any additional fees from patients and still provide access to oral health education and dental care regardless of insurance status.

“We rely on donated supplies to maintain the high standard of care and volume of children that we are able to serve,” McGrath-Barnes added. “We are proud to provide dental homes with the feel of private dental offices, where patients are treated with dignity, respect, and cultural sensitivity.”

‍As a member of the Dental Resource Program of America’s ToothFairy, KinderSmile qualifies for free resources including donated dental supplies and equipment to help them stretch their budget and serve more children. 

KinderSmile was one of 31 nonprofit dental care providers that recently received donated dental burs from SS White Dental, which donated more than 1.2 million dollars’ worth of carbide and diamond burs through our Dental Resource Program. 

At America’s ToothFairy, we believe that nonprofit dental clinics are the best way to ensure that all families can access the dental home their children need to treat dental disease and prevent tooth decay from happening in the first place. Safety-net clinics can break the cycle of poor oral health in low-income and underserved areas with support from the dental community.

To increase access to dental care, we leverage our partnerships with major dental companies to provide donated supplies so that nonprofit dental clinics can stretch their budgets and serve more kids than they could alone. Since 2006 DRP members have provided oral health services in under-resourced communities across the United States, serving more than 10 million kids and caregivers, including Edward’s family.

Since his encounter with KinderSmile, Edward has been bringing his children regularly for comprehensive care. After several visits the kids have been receptive to treatment, and their mouths are nearly fully restored. They will be able to start school free of pain and infection, better equipped to eat, speak, sleep, play, and learn, with better confidence and self-esteem.

We are so thankful to have SS White as a partner to help more kids get the dental care they need to be healthy. Our program members count on the generosity of others to expand care to the kids that need it most. Donated supplies free up resources to help our members serve more children and shorten wait times.

“We strive to change the shape of dentistry every day. It’s critical to us that kids receive dental care and resources to improve their oral health,” said Tom Gallop, CEO of SS White. “We are proud to support America’s ToothFairy and their mission to increase access to dental care for children and teens living in underserved communities.”

Click here for more information about donating dental products and equipment or office supplies to the nonprofit dental care providers we serve.

‍

Organizations that received burs from SS White include:

Apple Tree Dental, Mounds View, MN
Assistance League of San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA
Augusta Regional Dental Clinic, Fishersville, VA
Blue Ridge Health, Hendersonville, NC
Care Clinic, Red Wing, MN
Children's Dental Health Services, Rochester, MN
Community Volunteers in Medicine, West Chester, PA
Connecticut Institute for Communities, Inc., Danbury, CT
Dental Health Arlington, Arlington, TX
E A Hawse, Baker, WV
FirstHealth Dental Care, Southern Pines, NC
Gateway to Oral Health Foundation, St. Louis, MO
KinderSmile Community Oral Health Center, Trenton, NJ
KinderSmile Community Oral Health Center, Bloomfield, NJ
Let's Smile, Inc., Owatonna, MN
MCHD Dentistry, Morgantown, WV
Minnesota State University, Mankato Mankato, MN
Penn Dental Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Piedmont Regional Dental Clinic, Orange, VA
Ravenswood Family Health Network, East Palo Alto, CA
San Gabriel Valley Foundation for Dental Health, La Puente, CA
Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers, Cashton, WI
Smiles Across Montana, Bozeman, MT
Smiles Across Montana, Manhattan, MT
Smiles for a Lifetime, Fairfax, SC
Sonrisas Dental Health, San Mateo, CA
St. Johns Community Health, Los Angeles, CA
Tamworth Dental, Tamworth, NH
The Community Dental Center, Inglewood, CA
University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, Buffalo, NY
University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX

*Name has been changed.

‍