Dentist offers free smile makeover

A dental practice, which has three surgeries in East Sussex, is changing lives by performing complete dental implants for free after winners are nominated on Facebook.

Brighton Implant Clinic’s charity, The Smile Foundation, provides dental implant treatment for those in need of urgent surgery, but without the means to cover its costs.

The Smile Foundation’s Facebook page was launched earlier this year with one aim: to change the lives of people who need dental implants after oral neglect caused by dedicating their lives to helping others.

When Donald Rodriguez, a carer, was faced with the prospect of losing his teeth earlier this year, Dr Bruno Silva, head surgeon at Brighton Implant Clinic, stepped in to perform a vital procedure as an act of charity, through The Smile Foundation.

Dr Bruno Silva said: ‘I've always wanted to give something back for the support I’ve had in my life. The Smile Foundation is a way for me to use my dental skills to help those less fortunate than myself.’

In 2006, Mr Rodriguez suffered a severe stroke, causing the paralysis of his left side. His dental health suffered enormously as he lost the ability to brush his teeth, resulting in serious gum disease and infection. For both mental and physical wellbeing, the dental implant procedure was essential to his continued health.

Bruno Silva saw Donald as an ideal candidate for The Smile Foundation, so volunteered to remove the infected teeth of the upper and lower jaw, replacing them with new, strong dental implants. The procedure would have cost £12,500.

Dr Silva said: ‘It’s devastating to see how many people are in desperate need of dental treatment, but for one reason or another cannot do anything about it. For many, the only option is to wear dentures and I see patients every day that are so unhappy with them. If I can offer just a few people the chance to have treatment, I know it will make such a big difference to their lives.’

The Smile Foundation is using Facebook as a voting platform, where social networkers can vote for those who deserve treatment. Using Facebook has allowed patients to interact with one another and write why their nominations deserve free treatment under the charity.

This year, with the help of Facebook, Dr Silva has begun offering regular opportunities to win a ‘smile makeover’ tending to the winner’s every need. So far we have seen hundreds of cases where people¹s teeth simply need to be restored.

To enter, patients must have a real need for dental treatment.

They need to write to the judges why they think they should win this prize and then get friends and family to vote by liking the page and liking the post on the fan page. The best entry with highest number of likes and votes will win the dental makeover.

 

Prize eligibility

Only persons residing in United Kingdom who are between 21 and 99 years

of age can enter. Contest ends 29 November 29 2012.
For more information, please visit www.brightonimplantclinic.com

 

Favorite
Get the most out of your membership by subscribing to Dentistry CPD
  • Access 600+ hours of verified CPD courses
  • Includes all GDC recommended topics
  • Powerful CPD tracking tools included
Register for webinar
Share
Add to calendar