Pacific Dental Services will team up with After Innocence to provide free oral care to men and women who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes they didn’t commit during the dental service organization’s Smile Generation Serve Day on Saturday, August 15.
“Smile Generation Serve Day is an extremely rewarding day for the dentists and their teams and for the patients who never thought they would have the opportunity to receive this level of care,” said Kyle Guerin, director of Pacific Dental Services and corporate social responsibility.
“It’s a privilege to be able to help so many underserved patients and regain their confidence and their smiles,” said Guerin.
After Innocence, a nonprofit organization, serves more than 500 exonerees nationwide as they rebuild their lives, often after serving decades in prison. It provides them with reliable, efficient re-entry assistance and advocates for laws that provide them with meaningful compensation and effective support, according to Pacific Dental Services.
“Dental care is a major issue for so many exonerees, and working with the Smile Generation has given many of them a level of care that would have been otherwise unobtainable,” said Jon Eldan, founder and executive director of After Innocence.
“Most exonerees didn’t receive good dental care while they were in prison, and some developed serious problems as a result. Once released, they found it difficult to get affordable dental care,” said Eldan.
“That’s why our partnership with Smile Generation Serve Day is a game-changer for many of our exonerees. The scope of the work these dentists do for our exoneree-clients is just extraordinary,” he said.
Pacific Dental Services’ Smile Generation-trusted dentists will provide comprehensive oral healthcare, including cleanings, x-rays, scaling and root planing, restorations, and extractions, according to the company.
Since its inception in 2011, more than 19,000 patients have received donated dental services during Smile Generation Serve Day, totaling $32 million in oral healthcare.
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