Dec 21, 2018
‘Tis the season…to give! One of our favorite parts of the holiday season is the opportunity to give back to those in need. We believe that everyone deserves a healthy smile and access to oral health care. That’s why we’ve partnered with Dental Lifeline Network and their Donated Dental Services (DDS) to help people in our community receive the dental care they need. This is a program we support at Falmouth Dental Arts and have also contributed to through Dr. Knock’s always amazing Dancing with the Dentists. In the spirit of the Season of Giving, we wanted to share more about this incredible organization with you this month.
Donated Dental Services provides free, comprehensive dental treatment to the country’s most vulnerable people with disabilities, and to those who are elderly or medically fragile. These are people who cannot afford necessary treatment and cannot get public aid. The program operates through a volunteer network of more than 15,000 dentists and 3,700 dental labs across the United States. Since its inception in 1985, the DDS program has surpassed $330 million in donated dental therapies, transforming the lives of 117,000 people.
In Maine, the program has had an amazing impact. Some numbers for you:
- 177 volunteer dentists
- 36 volunteer laboratories
- $3.5 million in donated treatments
- 1,161 dental patients treated since 1999
If you’d like to contribute to Donated Dental Services, they are always in need dental professionals to volunteer their time, and rely on financial contributions to make more treatments possible. To make a donation, you can visit their website. Your donation will help provide comprehensive care to those who need it most.
Thank you for being a part of the FDA family and for helping us celebrate the Season of Giving! We hope you have a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends!
*Image courtesy of www.shutterstock.com
Nov 26, 2013
In it’s inaugural season, Dancing With the Dentists exceeded all expectations in raising well over $40,000 for Portland’s Healthcare for the Homeless Dental Clinic, and Maine Dental LifeLine. Conceived by Dr. Glen Knock and patterned after the wildly popular “Dancing With The Stars”, local dentists were paired with professional ballroom dance instructors to put on a dazzling display of footwork and fun. Over 400 people attended and cheered the contestants on at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland. Host Shannon Moss, DJ Mike Violette, and judges Governor John Baldacci, physician and author Dr. Christiane Northrup, and radio personality Ken Altshuler helped make the program one to remember.
Each contestant danced either a ballroom or Latin dance and the audience and judges voted for who they thought was the best. None had ever done ballroom dancing before September. A wonderful twist was that the dancers were all dentists married to dentists and the vote was tallied for the best couple. There was even a family angle with Dr. Joseph Penna and his wife, Maine Dental Association President Dr. Demi Kouzounas competing against their daughter and son-in-law, Drs. Nichol Penna and Doug Delli Colli! Also dancing were the overall winners, Dr. Jenny Fultz, the dentist at the Healthcare for the Homeless Dental Clinic, with her husband Dr. Brian Brunacini. Drs. Killian and Tarryn MacCarthy rounded out the four couples.
The generosity of Northeast Delta Dental and Tom’s of Maine helped underwrite the program, with Delta’s donation earmarked for Dental LifeLine. Many other donations and ticket sales helped make this first ever Dancing With The Dentists a huge success. Everyone is looking forward to next November and the second Dancing With The Dentists!
Check out some pictures of the event! Photo credit to No Umbrella Media!
Sep 30, 2013
We have introduced you to three of the four dancing dentist couples and the fourth and final couple will be announced next week! They are now in their third week of rehearsal and we are shocked by the progress and enthusiasm of everyone involved. The friendly competition is building and you can tell everyone really wants to win! But the real goal here is to raise money for a needy and worthy cause. We have had many outstanding companies join forces with us to sponsor the event as well. Their generosity is overwhelming. Sponsorship opportunities are still open and available! So please, if you know of anyone who may be interested, please email us at dancingwiththedentists@gmail.com. For real time updates, photos and videos of rehearsal, and more, Like Us on Facebook!!
We simply can not wait to come together for this night that is sure to be filled with plenty of entertainment, excitement, and fun for all.
