Dental Care for Children is springing into the new season with plenty to smile about! The support we've received from volunteers and the community over the past few months has enabled our smile squad to accomplish things beyond even our wildest dreams. 

Volunteers joined forces from across the US and Canada to serve 707 patients in need at orphanages, schools and community centers in Haiti and Mexico.

With a whopping 5 clinics under our belt this year, you gave:

152 smiles - Les Cayes, Haiti - January 18-21

204 smiles - Les Cayes, Haiti - February 14-18

93 smiles - Ensenada, Mexico - March 1-3

164 smiles - Les Cayes, Haiti - March 3-9

82 smiles - Ensenada, Mexico - March 15-17

$341,298 worth of free dental care already in 2013!

Not only are these children smiling ear to ear because of the aid our volunteer team has given them, their chance of contracting many bacterial diseases is also significantly decreased. With the help of our supporters, we were also able to give a toothbrush, tube of toothpaste and oral hygiene lesson to every single child. With this education, children have the power to prevent future dental problems and sustain healthy smiles for life. 

A huge thank you to everyone who helped give a smile and a brighter future to these children this year!

Will you volunteer to give a smile in 2013?

January 18-21 - Les Cayes, Haiti (ESPWA Orphanage-Partner)

February 14-18 - Les Cayes, Haiti (Gigi Orphanage)

March 1-3 - Maneadero, Mexico (Orphanage)

March 3-9 - Les Cayes, Haiti (ESPWA Orphanage-Partner)

March 22-24 - Ensenada, Mexico (Orphanage/School)

May 23-27 - Les Cayes, Haiti (Gigi Orphanage)

June 8 - Irvine, CA (Rotary Smiles Screening Clinic)

June TBD - Tustin, CA (Screening Clinic)

August 29 - Sept. 2 - Les Cayes, Haiti (ESPWA Orphanage)

September 22 - Santa Ana, CA (WSWA)

October 4-6 - Ensenada, Mexico (Felipe Community Center)

November 1-3 - Ensenada, Mexico (Community Center/School)

If you are interested in volunteering at a clinic, email Lindsey for more details.

A donation of just $20 is enough to give 2 children full exams and cleanings! Every $1 donated equals $10 in services. If you'd like to support a clinic, you can do so by clicking the link below.

With the end of the year quickly approaching, we can't help but be proud of what's shaping up to be one of our busiest & most meaningful years ever!

Our volunteers & supporters have been working hard all year long, delivering smiles to children around the world. Neither hurricanes in Haiti, nor storms in Mexico, stood in their way as they successfully held 11 free dental clinics in Haiti, Mexico & the US.

The incredible result - 1,100 patients helped & $650,000 worth of free dental care given to children and families in need.

We're so proud of the impact our supporters, like you, have made on these children. Thank you for being a part of our DCFC family & for making miracles happen. Together, we are not only changing smiles, we are changing lives. 

We look forward to giving healthy smiles to even more children in 2013. If you would like to help make this possible by sponsoring a clinic, you can make a donation here. All donations, no matter how small or large, make a difference.

Kids Learn to Brush... and Have Fun Doing It!

Oral hygiene isn’t generally a topic covered in Mexican classrooms but that all changed two weeks ago at an Ensenada elementary school, where DCFC gave oral health lessons to 76 kids on the blacktop of their playground.

While DCFC’s volunteer dentists and students were hard at work administering dental exams and treatments, children gathered outside to learn about the importance of oral hygiene. Each child was partnered with a volunteer to learn proper brushing techniques, with the help of some oversized plastic toothbrushes and set of teeth. The kids couldn’t get enough of the giant teeth, beaming with excitement as they each got their turn. Many of them even turned it into a game, giggling profusely as they tried to get every tooth clean.

But the fun didn’t end there. Each child was then given a fluoride treatment (to prevent future cavities) and their very own toothbrush and tube of toothpaste – luxury items many of the kids hadn't owned until then.

“It was so great to see so many kids having so much fun brushing their teeth!”  –Michelle Rogan, Volunteer

A very big thank you to USC dental student, Kereem Hussain, for heading up our hygiene education program and helping us bring this program to both Haiti and Mexico.

76 Kids Receive $48K Worth of Free Dental Care in Mexico!

Check out the results from our last dental clinic of the year! Over 30 volunteer dentists, USC students and assistants gave 76 children free dental treatments at an Ensenada, Mexico elementary school. This concludes DCFC's fifth Mexico clinic this year and we couldn't have ended the year on a better note!

Our greatest appreciation to the Irvine and Ensenada Rotary Clubs, volunteers and donors who made this clinic and program come to life! YOU make this possible!

What a weekend!

We're still catching our breath from a whirlwind trip to Ensenada, Mexico this past week where the Dental Care for Children team set up camp for a free dental clinic.

• Ensenada community center was transformed into a 13 chair dental clinic, fully staffed with 42 volunteers, dentists & dental students to help.

• Free dental care was given to children, parents, siblings & the entire family!

• 130 family members received free care! That means, over $110,000 worth of treatment, our best yet!

This clinic was truly magical. From a little boy beaming with excitement to get his decaying tooth pulled to a little girl so relaxed she fell asleep in the dental chair.. we saw it all. With so many volunteers willing to help, we were able to see each and every patient who walked into our clinic. Thank you to everyone who supported this clinic!

We'll be back in just two weeks to do follow up dental work for these families and to provide care for children of an Ensenada Elementary School with the Irvine Rotary Club. We can't wait!

PS. Want to help give dental care to more children in need throughout the year? Consider making a donation to Dental Care for Children!

Dental Care for Children is gearing up for two international clinics in Ensenada, Mexico this fall! On October 5-7th and October 26-28th we'll be headed south to provide free dental services for children in Ensenada elementary schools and community centers. 

At these clinics we'll be rolling out our brand new oral hygiene education program. Each child will now receive a free toothbrush, tube of toothpaste and a lesson on how to properly brush their teeth. The goal - to empower and educate kids to take care of their teeth and prevent future infections!

It's a busy (and rewarding) season for the Dental Care for Children Family! With the success of our Santa Ana dental clinic this past weekend and two more Mexico clinics on the horizon this October, you're helping us help more children than ever before!

On September 22nd, sixty-one volunteers, including local dentists, USC students and assistants, banded together to help low-income families in our very own backyard of Santa Ana, California.

Dental Care for Children partnered with the Western Service Workers Association to provide free dental care for families of those either laid off from their job or earning wages below poverty level. DCFC board member, Dr. David Levitt, lead the team in assembling a 13 chair mobile dental clinic a in nearby Santa Ana church.

It was a day of record-setting heat, rigorous dental work and a lot of gracious families. We're so thrilled to have treated 66 patients & donated almost $50,000 worth of dental treatment to these families who otherwise couldn't have afforded care. 

Thank you to all of the volunteers who made this miracle possible! 

We're back from our 12th (and most successful) trip to Haiti. Together, the Dental Care for Children family helped hundreds of kids and set a couple records along the way!

This past Labor Day weekend, Dental Care for Children traveled to rural Les Cayes, Haiti to set up a free dental clinic for the children of Project Hope Orphanage. Project Hope is home to over 600 homeless & vulnerable children. For many, our dentists are the 1st they've ever seen.

Over 3 days, we treated children with every dental problem imaginable - many of which had difficulty eating and sleeping because of it.

Each and every child treated received their very own toothbrush, tube of toothpaste and oral hygiene lesson, to empower the children to take care of their teeth in our absence. The amazing results - 255 children without oral pain, $168,000 of dental care donated and hope for a future without pain and infection for these kids. 

To all of the volunteers & supporters of the Dental Care for Children Family that made this clinic come to life - Merci!

*To date, over $1,000,000 of dental care donated to Haitian children!

*$168,981 worth of services donated at this clinic alone!