Our largest and most far-reaching project, Smiles for Kids® (SFK) (originally founded in 1991 by Dr. Gerard Ortner and Dr. Don Rollofson) was adopted and expanded by the Foundation in 2003. It partners member dentists with local schools to screen and provide dental education to thousands of children each year. From the screenings, underinsured and underserved children are treated by member dentists and their teams on SFK Day each February. More than half of those children are then “adopted” for further pro bono treatment – including specialty and orthodontic treatment. Each year, thousands of dollars in pro bono treatment is provided to children in the five county SDDS area. Smiles for Kids is making great strides toward reversing the disheartening statistics that plague the children of our community.
Since 1991, Smiles for Kids has:
- Served more than 522,000 children
- Treated 17,400 children
- Provided more than $15.6 million in free dental services to thousands of children
- Provided over 1,220 children with pro bono orthodontic treatment
Support Smiles for Kids
This program serves as much more than simply a means for providing treatment—it draws awareness to the issues of poor oral health and access to care, and it fosters outreach, education, and partnership within our community to take responsibility for this problem and help improve it! Through Smiles for Kids, we can make a difference and give the children of our community what they truly deserve—a smile to last a lifetime.
Thank you to our Smiles for Kids Grantors & Donors!
Cash Donations
- Gordon & Mary Ann Harris Fund
- Karen Harris
- William J. Codiga Family Foundation
- Cookie Lawrence
Supply Donations
- CSUS Pre-Dental Club
How You Can Help
- Become a Smiles for Kids Sponsor or Volunteer
- Make a Monetary Contribution
- Make a Supply Donation
- Donate your time as a site volunteer for Smiles for Kids Day!
Download Dental Health Activity Sheets from ADA »
Puppet Show
SDDS, SDDF, and Sutter Health teamed up with Puppet Art Theater to bring more dental education into our local schools, and now they’re upgrading the service even more! We are now offering to have the show “Clay and the Sugarsaurus Rex” live-streamed to students! With the conversion to so much online learning, it is important to adapt and make sure children are still getting the education they deserve.
To check out this great new service, head to ToothFairyPuppetShow.com! There you can learn more about the content taught in the puppet show, how schools can schedule a show, and even watch a small preview of the show! We’re happy to announcing this new option for our puppet shows!
Thanks very much to Puppet Art Theater!
Puppet Show Sponsor
Clay and the Sugarsaurus Rex
A show developed for Pre-K through 1st graders. See a preview of the show below. Contact us to book your shows at smilesforkids@sdds.org
The Adventures of Sir Enamel
A show developed for K through 4th graders. See a preview of the show below. Contact us to book your shows at smilesforkids@sdds.org
This program serves as much more than simply a means for providing treatment—it draws awareness to the issues of poor oral health and access to care, and it fosters outreach, education, and partnership within our community to take responsibility for this problem and help improve it! Through Smiles for Kids, we can make a difference and give the children of our community what they truly deserve—a smile to last a lifetime.
Thank you to our Smiles for Big Kids Grantors!
Previous Grantors
- California Wellness Foundation
- CDA Foundation
- Henry Schein Supplies Grant
- CHW/Dignity Community Grants
- Del Webb Foundation
- Delta Dental Community Care Foundation
- Teichert Foundation
- Wells Fargo
Community organizations we have partnered with:
In 2005, the Foundation partnered with a metal refinery and began Crowns for Kids® (CFK) to benefit Smiles for Kids. In this program, member dentists collect scrap metal from their patients’ dental treatment in CFK jars, the jars are collected and sent to the metal refinery (Star Group), and the refinery sends a check to the Foundation each month. Thus far, the program has surpassed the $349,000 mark in collections – and it all goes to benefit SFK!
When you have a few crowns collected (jar does not need to be full!), call SDDS at 916.446.1227 for a pick up, or Star Refining directly – Elizabeth Reynoso at 209.623.9332 for pick-up!!
