Bright Now!® Dental Hosts Free Dental Day in Gresham, Oregon

GRESHAM, Ore., Feb. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Bright Now!® Dental partnered with the Smiles for Everyone Foundation to open its Gresham office to provide free dental services for nearly 80 underinsured, low-income individuals on January 27, 2019.

Volunteers from Smile Brands Inc.'s affiliated offices located around Oregon and Washington arrived early Saturday morning ready to give back and make a difference. The team, comprised of six doctors and nearly 30 support staff, worked together to deliver pro bono care to underserved patients from their local community. Services included checkups, cleanings, oral cancer screenings, fluoride treatments, fillings, extractions, and more. Volunteer dentists included Dr. Waleed Almulla, Dr. Kevin Cheng, Dr. Christopher Kooning, Dr. Nick Le, Dr. Jeff Pearson, and Dr. Marcus Uchida.

The patients served were referred to the Day of Giving event by local nonprofit organizations.
To name a few, some of these include Janus Youth Programs, The Salvation Army - Gresham Corps, and Open House Ministries Family Shelter. Those who attended greatly appreciated the care they received from the providers and support staff who took time out of their weekend to give back. Diane B, from Snowcap Family Services and Food Pantry, insisted that we continue to keep our program running. She said, "It's nice to know that there are organizations like this to help people in a time of need. So many out there need this for their family."

Many of the patients we treated over the weekend either don't have insurance or do not qualify for plans that cover their oral health. This is representative of the nearly 40% of American citizens who lack dental insurance of any kind. For those who cannot afford it, visits to an oral doctor can be sparse. Patient Juan M. said he was excited when he learned about our local event from a nurse. After scheduling an appointment with us, he was finally able to be treated for his dental pain after 12 years. "It was very nice and fast," Juan boasted. "The service was great and organized. Thanks for the 1 year free dental plan!" Juan is referring to the OneSmile Dental Plan, a financing program that is typically offered at Smile Brands affiliated offices. OneSmile is being offered to all Day of Giving patients, thanks to the Smiles for Everyone Foundation's partnership with Smile Brands Inc. This plan will help promote ongoing oral health for Juan and all other Day of Giving patients. In addition to receiving the OneSmile Dental Plan, this weekend's patients received over $40,000 worth of x-rays, exams, cleanings, extractions, fillings and more!

The next Day of Giving that the Foundation will be hosting will be in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 2, 2019.

About Bright Now!® Dental
Bright Now! ® Dental provides general dentistry, children's dentistry and, in select locations, specialty care services such as orthodontics, oral surgery, periodontics and endodontics at over 150 offices across Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and Washington. Bright Now! Dental's Gresham office is operated by Northwest Dental Associates, P.C. (the "Group"). The Group is affiliated with Smile Brands Inc., one of the largest providers of business support services to dental groups in the United States. Smile Brands Inc. provides comprehensive business support services through exclusive long-term service agreements with affiliated dental groups, so dentists can spend more time caring for their patients and less time on the administrative, marketing and financial aspects of operating a dental practice. Smile Brands is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors ("Gryphon"), a leading middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA. For more information, visit http://www.smilebrands.com

About the Smiles For Everyone Foundation
The Smiles for Everyone Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of delivering smiles for everyone by providing free dental care for those in need, both at home in the U.S. and around the world. Since 2011, the Smiles for Everyone Foundation has delivered over 19,000 smiles and $14.6 million in donated dentistry. The foundation currently supports programs which provide free dental care to those in need in Cambodia, Ghana, Laos, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Thailand and the United States. For more information or to make a donation, visit http://www.smilesforeveryone.org.

Contacts:
Bright Now! Dental
Jody Martin
PR(at)smilebrands.com
714.427.1299

Smiles for Everyone Foundation
Crystal Strait
crystal.strait(at)smilesforeveryone.org
714.824.5037

SOURCE Smiles for Everyone Foundation