As many of you may know, we’re in the giving season. It is often associated with the winter holidays, and it embodies a spirit of generosity and compassion, inspiring people to extend a helping hand to those in need. During this time of year, individuals are motivated by the warmth of festive traditions and a desire to make a positive impact, fostering a sense of community and shared goodwill that transcends cultural and religious boundaries.
The holiday season is a very important time of the year for charitable organizations. For many of the organizations, the months of November and December are when they receive the bulk of their operational funding. You’ve probably seen several emails and social media posts referencing tomorrow being Giving Tuesday. You’ve probably seen my posts too. I’m the founder of a nonprofit and this is my first time experiencing Giving Tuesday from a Founder’s perspective. Let’s just say navigating a fundraising campaign for the first time has been a challenging yet educational experience. I should document my journey more, especially the struggle of shifting to a CEO mindset as opposed to the mindset of an employed dental hygienist.
Today, I want to discuss the importance of supporting charitable organizations providing dental healthcare to underserved communities. Dental clinics have a high overhead expense no matter what sector of the industry you’re working in. Because of this, I really commend those organizations that provide quality dental healthcare at free or reduced cost. It’s a hard job, but I know of several organizations that do public health dentistry very well!
Here are three reasons to give the gift of oral health!
Promoting Oral Health Equity: Donating to organizations that provide low-cost dental hygiene care to marginalized individuals, such as seniors in nursing homes and children from low-income families, helps promote oral health equity. Access to dental care is often limited for vulnerable populations, leading to disparities in oral health outcomes. By supporting organizations that focus on these communities, you contribute to closing the gap in access to essential dental services, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their economic status, can maintain good oral health.
Preventing Long-term Health Issues: Adequate dental hygiene is crucial not only for oral health but also for overall well-being. Neglected dental care can lead to various health issues, including infections, pain, and systemic problems. By donating to organizations that offer low-cost dental hygiene care to marginalized individuals, you contribute to the prevention of long-term health issues. This is particularly important for seniors in nursing homes and children from low-income families who may face barriers to accessing regular dental check-ups and treatments.
Enhancing Quality of Life: Good oral health is essential for a high quality of life. It affects individuals’ ability to eat, speak, and socialize without discomfort or embarrassment. By supporting organizations that provide affordable dental hygiene care to marginalized populations, you directly contribute to enhancing the quality of life for seniors in nursing homes and children from low-income families. This, in turn, can have positive ripple effects on their overall health, confidence, and ability to participate fully in their communities.
In summary, donating to organizations focused on providing low-cost dental hygiene care to marginalized individuals is a compassionate and impactful way to address oral health disparities, prevent long-term health issues, and enhance the overall quality of life for those who may face barriers to accessing essential dental services. Oral health care is essential to overall well-being. By donating to our cause, you’re not only helping someone’s smile but also their overall health and happiness.
Dental healthcare is often considered a luxury service, and to many in the state of Georgia, it’s not accessible due to the inability to afford care, no reliable transportation to get to appointments, lack of dental insurance, and limited knowledge of the importance of oral health. Georgia’s Medicaid/Medicare plans provide limited dental care coverage for adults. Because of this, many adults do not seek to have routine preventive dental health services.
Divine Smiles Preventive Dental Services is here to make preventive dental care services easily accessible to low-income, uninsured metro Atlanta residents by eliminating geographical and socio-economical barriers to preventive dental healthcare. We practice mobile dentistry by utilizing portable dental equipment to provide preventive dental services in low-income communities that have limited or no access to preventive dental healthcare. We bring dental care directly to the communities.
Our registered dental hygienist provides preventive dental hygiene services such as fluoride application, sealant placement, dental prophylaxis cleaning, oral hygiene instruction, and counseling. All patients receive referrals to the supervising dentist or to a local community dental health provider for routine follow-up dental care.
We believe that reducing the burden of oral disease begins with increased oral health literacy and increased accessibility to preventive dental services. You can help us fulfill our mission of making preventive dental healthcare accessible to those in need. This GA Gives Day we invite you to Save Divine Smiles!
The Hygienist Twist 