10 years of beautiful smiles for children in need

Thousands of volunteers celebrated 10 years of the MDA's annual charitable program, Give Kids a Smile, on Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, when they provided free dental care to children in dental clinics throughout the state.

Check out the latest Give Kids a Smile newsletter to read about the reach of this year's program.

Along with the satisfaction of helping children protect and restore their dental health, volunteer dentists are always gratified to see so many beautiful smiles! You can see some of these smiles, too, by visiting our 2012 photo page.

Thanks to loyal sponsors -- 3M ESPE Dental Products and HealthPartners -- the Minnesota Dental Association is able to advertise this program across the state to make sure families know about this opportunity for free care. The Minnesota Dental Association also works directly with hundreds of schools, organizations and agencies to promote this program to families in need.

To receive reminders and updates about this program, please sign up for e-mail notices by dropping us a note at gkas@mndental.org (if you haven’t already). We also invite you to follow us on Facebook (search for Give Kids a Smile – Minnesota) for announcements and Twitter.

See how Give Kids a Smile impacts a local child in this report from WCCO TV and the MDA.

Smiles Change Lives

The Minnesota Dental Association is proud to inform families about the “Smiles Change Lives” program, which provides orthodontic care in private orthodontic offices in many areas throughout Minnesota. This program serves children ages 11 to 18 who have a significant malocclusion, can be treated in one stage, have good oral hygiene and cannot afford orthodontic treatment.  Applicants need to be below 200% of the federal poverty level.  If accepted into the program, the orthodontic treatment will be provided at a greatly reduced fee. For an application call 888-900-3554 or visit http://www.smileschangelives.org/.

Reduced-cost clinics are available year round
Give Kids a Smile provides two days of free dental care for low-income children in need. In some cases, more immediate dental attention may be necessary. To assist you in finding ongoing dental services, the Minnesota Dental Association has compiled a list of clinics that may take medical assistance, general assistance, or offer services on a sliding fee scale. Please note that information on this list is subject to change.

Before making an appointment, please call the appropriate clinic to discuss your needs and clarify fees, eligibility and other details. Click here to find Resources for Ongoing Care.