Veterans Smile Day
Most veterans cannot get dental care through the VA. A dentist's chair is the whole intervention.
Veterans Smile Day is a 501(c)(3) that has been organising free dental care for veterans since 2012. SaviorPay helps fund it, and we are looking for dental practices willing to open their doors.
We need to open our doors—and hearts—to this very grateful population that deserves our help. They've kept us safe; the least we can do in response is to show our appreciation by doing what we do best.
Veterans Smile Day
The organisation
Started by a Navy dentist who saw the gap firsthand.
Dr. Deryck Pham graduated from USC's dental school in 2004 and went straight into the US Navy as a Lieutenant, serving with the Marines and deploying to Iraq in 2006. He founded Veterans Smile Day in 2012 after returning to private practice.
- A registered 501(c)(3). Veterans Smile Day is an independent nonprofit. SaviorPay is a supporter, not an operator.
- Free care, no cost to the veteran. Exams, cleanings, fillings and extractions are provided at no charge by volunteering practices.
- Nationwide and growing. Volunteers include private dental offices, dental schools, hospitals and dental societies.
- Backed by the industry. Corporate sponsors include Henry Schein, Ultradent and The Dentists Supply Company, who donate supplies.
Why it exists
Serving does not come with a dentist.
Dental coverage is one of the sharpest gaps in veterans' benefits, and it is the kind of gap that quietly compounds.
- More than 85% do not qualify Of roughly 23 million veterans in the United States, the large majority are not eligible for any dental care through the Veterans Administration.
- Untreated dental problems do not stay dental Pain, infection and tooth loss affect what someone can eat, whether they sleep, and how they present at a job interview.
- A single day of care changes the picture An exam, a cleaning and a couple of extractions or fillings is often the entire difference — and it is within reach of any practice with a free Saturday.
- The goal is a permanent dental home Veterans Smile Day's stated hope is that veterans treated on the day go on to find a lasting dental home for themselves and their families.
For dental practices
What taking part actually involves.
Less than most practices expect. You decide the scope, the day and the number of patients.
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Tell us you are interested
Use the form below. It takes a minute and commits you to nothing at all.
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We help you register with Veterans Smile Day
Registration is with the foundation directly. We will walk you through it and answer questions first.
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You choose what you can offer
Exams, cleanings, fillings, extractions — whatever you are comfortable providing. In the foundation's own words: any service provided is better than no service.
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Supplies where available
The foundation's sponsors donate supplies to participating offices, schools and dental societies, subject to availability.
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Veterans book with you
Veterans find participating practices through the foundation and bring a DD214, retired military ID or veterans ID card.
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You treat, and that is the whole thing
You are free to treat as you see fit. Follow-up work such as crowns or dentures may carry a fee, and that is between you and the patient.
Where SaviorPay fits
We fund care, and we would like to fund more of it.
SaviorPay currently contributes toward dental work for about two veterans a month. We want that number to be considerably larger, and the most useful thing we can do is bring more practices to the foundation.
- Taking part is free and independent. You register with Veterans Smile Day, not with us. Nothing about participating requires you to become a SaviorPay customer.
- The payments conversation is separate. If you would also like us to look at what your practice pays to process cards, tick that box on the form. If you would not, leave it unticked and we will not raise it.
- No obligation, in either direction. Practices that take part owe us nothing. Practices that become customers are under no expectation to volunteer.
Register interest
Tell us you are willing, and we will take it from there.
This goes to a person at SaviorPay, not an autoresponder. We will get back to you within two business days.
- No commitment. Registering interest is not registering for the event.
- We handle the introduction. We will walk you through the foundation's registration rather than leaving you to work it out.
- Your details stay with us. Nothing is passed to the foundation or anyone else unless you ask us to.
One practical note: Veterans Smile Day's own dentist registration form is currently served over an unencrypted connection. That is why we collect your details here instead and hand you on afterwards.
Questions
What practices ask before saying yes.
Do I have to become a SaviorPay customer to take part?
No. Participation is with Veterans Smile Day and it is free. We will help you register whether or not you ever talk to us about payments.
How many veterans would we be expected to see?
That is your decision. Some practices set aside a morning and see a handful; larger offices and dental schools see many more. There is no quota.
What if a veteran needs more work than we can donate?
You are free to treat however you are comfortable. The foundation's own guidance is that any service provided is better than none, and follow-up work such as crowns or dentures may carry a fee.
Can we take part on a different day?
Yes. The foundation allows practices to schedule their own day, and asks that you use the Veterans Smile Day name and materials when you do.
Can we treat family members of veterans?
The foundation's position is that you may treat whoever you like, but asks that the focus stays on veterans.
What does SaviorPay actually contribute?
We currently fund dental work for about two veterans a month. That figure is our own reporting rather than a foundation statistic, and we would rather grow it than advertise it.
If you are not a dentist
There is still something useful you can do.
Tell a dental practice you use. Most dentists have never heard of Veterans Smile Day, and a patient mentioning it carries further than a company doing so. Veterans looking for care can find a participating practice through the foundation directly.