"A Complex Problem"

Dental Lifeline Network (www.DentalLifeline.org) is a national humanitarian dental organization providing access to comprehensive dentistry for society's most vulnerable individuals who are disabled, elderly or medically fragile and have no other way to get help. The organization is a charitable affiliate of the American Dental Association.

Through Donated Dental Services (DDS), a program of Dental Lifeline Network, 15,000 volunteer dentists and 3,000 laboratories provide comprehensive dental care to patients in all 50 states. DDS was first established 25 years ago and has provided $200 million in care to 106,000 vulnerable people. Increasingly, DDS serves patients who are medically fragile and in need of an organ transplant, cardiac surgery, chemotherapy or joint replacement but cannot proceed with care until their dental health is resolved. These are people who have slipped through the cracks of Medicaid and Medicare and have nowhere else to turn for help.

Volunteer participation in DDS could not be easier. Dentists and labs take care of the patients. DDS does everything else. Dentists see patients in their offices on their schedule and determine their own treatment plans. A volunteer dentist can accept or decline any patient. A DDS Program Coordinator is the liaison between the patient, the dentist and the laboratory - avoiding any paperwork on the part of the dentist's staff.

DentaCheques is a Dental Lifeline Network program that is a major source of funding for the DDS program. Dentists purchase a DentaCheques book annually that provides their office with discounted coupons on orders from their dealer representatives and manufacturers. All proceeds from the purchase of DentaCheques support Dental Lifeline Network and the DDS program.

For more information on becoming a DDS volunteer, visit www.DentalLifelineNetwork.org. For information on DentaCheques, please visit www.DentaCheques.org.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Dental
• Lifeline