Smile Generation Serve Day Has Record Year: Over $7.6 Million in Donated Dental Services from Pacific Dental Services-Supported Practices

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Sep 02, 2022, 11:46 ET

Nationwide, over 2,500 underserved patients received donated oral healthcare on the 12th annual day of service, which took place Saturday, August 20, 2022.

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This August, Pacific Dental Services^® (PDS), one of the nation's leading dental support organizations, partnered with Smile Generation to partake in the 12th annual Smile Generation Serve Day, a day of service and nationwide campaign of giving that focuses on providing donated dentistry to underserved patients. The collective efforts of PDS-supported clinicians and team members reached new records this year: over $7.6 million was donated in dental services, while PDS team members provided over 55,000 hours of service to their local communities. Since its inception in 2011, more than 24,000 patients have received donated dentistry during Smile Generation Serve Day, totaling more than $46.8 million in donated oral healthcare.

On Saturday, August 20th, more than 700 PDS-supported dental practices located throughout the United States provided donated dental care to over 2,500 patients, including some life changing procedures such as CEREC^® CAD/CAM same-day dental restorations, implants, root canals, oral surgery, and much-needed dental cleanings. In addition, hundreds of PDS team members and families joined community service projects such as park and beach clean-ups, blood drives, creating cards of encouragement for children undergoing cancer treatment, packing back-to-school kits with supplies, and serving in local food banks.

"Smile Generation Serve Day has become a substantial part of our organization," said Stephen E. Thorne IV, Founder and CEO of Pacific Dental Services. "The act of service changes our hearts and minds about what matters most in life. This annual event gives us the opportunity to selflessly engage with the communities we serve and help them improve their health. This year's success is evident through thousands of lives that have been positively impacted by the hearts of our team members and their gift of over 55,000 hours of service."

Patients treated during this year's event included U.S. military veterans and those affiliated with non-profit organizations, such as Special Olympics, Future Smiles, The Freedom Child Foundation, Dental Lifeline Network, Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, Adopt-A-Vet Dental Program, The Kaufman Fund, After Innocence, and more.

After Innocence is a non-profit organization that provides free assistance to America's exonerees – people released from prison after having been incarcerated for crimes they did not commit. Since 2018, After Innocence has partnered with PDS-supported dental practices to provide more than 200 exonerees a total of over $650,000 in donated dental services on Smile Generation Serve Day, clearing the way for a lifetime of good oral health. The event preparation includes orchestrating the complex logistics of having dozens of exonerees visiting a dentist on the same day, including pre-screening patients located in all parts of the country and scheduling them for services.

"After Innocence provides free post-release support to exonerees across the country, many of whom who have serious dental problems arising from years of inadequate care while in prison, and a general lack of good, affordable care since being released," said Jon Eldan, Executive Director of After Innocence. "Smile Generation Serve Day is a game-changer for dozens of our exoneree-clients. Welcoming our exoneree clients into dental practices offices for pro bono services helps these deserving individuals take an important step in rebuilding their lives after wrongful convictions."

This year's success was also due to Smile Generation's partnership with Modivcare, a healthcare services company that provides supportive care solutions to underserved patient populations. This includes access to non-emergency medical transportation, personal care, remote patient monitoring, and meal services. For the second consecutive year, Modivcare offered transportation services to patients in Missouri, Texas, Georgia, Florida, California, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia to dental clinics free of charge on Smile Generation Serve Day.

"We were pleased to support Smile Generation's Serve Day as it aligns perfectly with our purpose to improve access to care for the underserved," said Heath Sampson, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Modivcare. "The socioeconomic disparities of healthcare extend to dental care as well. Not all Americans are given the same opportunity when it comes to accessing basic needs. Transporting patients to their medical and dental appointments eliminates barriers to care and helps to promote health equity."

Since its founding in 1994, PDS has been committed to providing business and operational support to dental clinicians to facilitate their focused ability to provide patients with exceptional oral healthcare designed to keep them healthier and happier. This includes education on the link between oral health and overall health – what PDS and its supported practices call The Mouth-Body Connection^®. Research shows that harmful bacteria and inflammation in the mouth can indicate and even cause systemic conditions throughout the body. Periodontal disease has been connected to systemic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, pregnancy complications that result in pre-term/low-weight births, and more. Conversely, the link is often bi-directional. Many systemic diseases, conditions, and even medications can affect a patient's oral health.

Photos from this year's Smile Generation Serve Day can be found here. For more on the culture of service in PDS-supported practices, please click here.

About Pacific Dental Services
Founded in 1994, Pacific Dental Services^® (PDS) is one of the country's leading dental support organizations, providing supported autonomy that enables dentists to concentrate on clinical excellence and the highest levels of cost-effective comprehensive patient care. PDS originated the Private Practice+^® model to enable dentists to focus on their passion: serving patients. PDS also pioneered the concept of Modern Dentistry so that dentists are equipped to combine advances in the latest technology with the best operational practices and procedures, highly skilled support staff and a commitment to ongoing training and education. PDS continues to grow, with more than 890 supported dental offices across the United States. PDS has been on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in America 14 times. PDS-supported dentists aim to be the provider of choice in all the markets they serve and to develop Patients for Life™. For more information, visit us at pacificdentalservices.com or follow us on Facebook: @pacificdentalservices, Instagram: @pacific.dental, LinkedIn: @pacific-dental-services, Twitter: @pacificdental, and YouTube: @pacificdentaltv.

About Smile Generation
The Smile Generation connects patients to Smile Generation-trusted dentists who are dedicated to providing an exceptional patient experience and advanced clinical care. Smile Generation also provides financial choices for patients and education about the connection between oral health and overall health. The Smile Generation network spans more than 890 dental offices in 25 states. Smile Generation-trusted offices are supported by Pacific Dental Services^®. For more information, visit us at smilegeneration.com or follow us on Facebook @smilegen, Instagram @smilegeneration, Twitter: @smilegen, YouTube: @smilegenerationtv.

About After Innocence
After Innocence is a non-profit organization that provides free assistance to America's exonerees - people released from prison after having been incarcerated for crimes they did not commit. Based in Oakland, California, After Innocence serves more than 800 exonerees nationwide, the majority of whom did not receive consistent re-entry help or meaningful compensation for the time they lost. For more information, visit us at after-innocence.org

About Modivcare
Modivcare Inc. ("Modivcare") is a technology-enabled healthcare services company that provides a platform of integrated supportive care solutions for public and private payors and their patients. Our value-based solutions address the social determinants of health (SDoH), enable greater access to care, reduce costs, and improve outcomes. We are a leading provider of non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT), personal care and remote patient monitoring. To learn more about Modivcare, please visit modivcare.com.

SOURCE Pacific Dental Services