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Philanthropic Dental Services Initiative Aids Impoverished Community in Thailand

Posted on Wednesday, October 9, 2013

 

Irvine, Calif. (PRWEB) May 17, 2012 -- Following its successful trip last year to Asunción, Paraguay through the “Smiles for Everyone®!” Foundation in December 2011, a team of Smile Brands Inc. employees and dentists is continuing its philanthropic efforts by bringing dental services to an impoverished community in Chiang Rai, Thailand from May 17-26.

“Our trip to Paraguay was unbelievably enlightening,” says Smile Brands President and CEO, Steve Bilt. “We saw people so badly in need of dental care that without it, some may have died. We didn’t necessarily expect such extreme conditions, but after seeing them we are more energized than ever to continue our mission to bring dental care to as many communities around the world as we can.” See more of what Bilt has to say about the upcoming mission here: https://www.smilebrands.com/about-us/mission-and-values/outreach.

In addition to providing care, the team also works to ensure the community can carry on a certain level of care on their own. The team leaves behind better equipment and exposes local dentists to comprehensive training so that they can continue to provide superior care to the local community once the Smile Brands team has returned home.

“We feel as part of our individual and corporate responsibilities, it is important to extend our mission beyond the walls of our dental offices,” says Bilt. “By traveling to Thailand and visiting local communities with little or no access to proper dental care, we can greatly extend our vision of bringing smiles to everyone.”

The “Smiles for Everyone®!” Foundation, affiliated with Smile Brands Inc., is a not-for-profit foundation with a vision to improve the lives of people through the provision of essential services including dentistry and nutrition, as well as provide additional forms of aid in extraordinary circumstances. The American Red Cross has twice recognized the “Smiles for Everyone®!” Foundation for its far-reaching humanitarian efforts, bestowing upon the Foundation the prestigious Circle of Humanitarians award.

In addition to running temporary dental clinics and nutrition centers, the Thailand team will participate in training and group coaching sessions to gain insight and create a model that can be replicated in more communities throughout the world. Bilt is serving as a dental assistant on the trip, joining dentists Dr. Mazin Alayssami, Dr. Robert Chidester, Dr. Stanley Hong, Dr. Karen Martinez, Dr. Craig Mellor, and Dr. Randy Richardson.

A film crew from Video Resources Inc. is volunteering their time and resources to travel with the team to capture video and still footage documenting the experience that can be used as educational material for future foundation trips. 







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