TEXAS DENTAL ASSOCIATION SMILES FOUNDATION

The Texas Dental Association Smiles Foundation (TDASF), founded in 2006, merged from the Texas Dental Association’s two existing foundations: The Texas Dental Foundation (f. 1987) and Texas Dentists for Healthy Smiles (f. 2001). Our mission is to educate the public and profession about oral health and improve access to dental care for citizens of Texas.

Healthy Smiles for Texans (HST) (formerly TXDDS) provides free, comprehensive dental care to the elderly, disabled patients, Veterans, domestic violence survivors, and the medically fragile or compromised. Since 2001, this program has provided over 2,500 Texans with nearly $9 million in charitable, comprehensive dentistry. Potential patients go through an application and screening process, to determine need and eligibility. Patients participating in HST often receive new partials or dentures, which not only helps them achieve complete oral health, but also restores their confidence by giving them their smiles back.

Texas Mission of Mercy (TMOM) is a multi-annual travelling dental clinic that sets up in urban and rural areas all over Texas, visiting 4 cities each year. Volunteer dental professionals provide free treatment to attendees on a first-come, first-serve basis, including fillings, cleanings, extractions, and removable partials (when lab is available), to relieve pain and improve oral health. Each TMOM provides between 150-1,000 people with $100,000-600,000 worth of charitable dental care. Each event relies heavily on community involvement through utilizing hundreds of volunteers from the area where each event takes place, as well as local financial support through fundraising efforts.

Finally, our Education component consists of two different programs that educate the public about oral health, as well as provides preventive care. First, the Cavity-Free Corral, educates children and adults attending TMOM events about proper oral health while they wait for treatment. Our newest program, SMART Smiles, was adopted in 2014 and is now fully integrated into the TDASF family of programs. SMART Smiles works with elementary schools and their communities throughout the state, providing care to prevent decay and educate children and families on the importance of oral health, while helping to create a positive dental environment and implement a referral system for necessary dental treatment.

TDASF provides dental care to the neediest Texans, including low-income families, the elderly, medically fragile, veterans, and those with chronic illness who must receive dental care before being placed on transplant lists or given chemotherapy. The need for dental care is great, and we have provided over 38,000 Texans with more $27 million worth of free dental care since 2001.