A smile...pass it on

“So, is it a command or a request?”

What? I was standing in line at the grocery store, double checking that I got everything that I came in to get. I must have had a very puzzled look on my face as I looked at the older gentleman in line ahead of me. He repeated, “Is that a command or a request?” as he pointed at my Smile Generation t-shirt.

“Well,” I replied, “I suppose most people smile when they look at it, so it must just be a given.”

“Hmmm…” he said fighting off a smile of his own, “I just have fun reading people’s t-shirts.”

I explained to him, “If you were out at the Irvine Marketplace at lunch time today, you would’ve seen a few hundred of us wandering around with this shirt on. It’s for the launch of our new website called The Smile Generation.”

I turned around so he could read the back of my shirt. “We have several hundred dental offices across 5 states.”

He just smiled at me, so I smiled back. He said, “You have a nice smile.”

I replied, “We have good dentists.”

He laughed.

When he got to the register, the checker asked if he wanted to donate $1 to the City of Hope for pediatric cancer research. He said he would, and she asked him to write his name on one of the cards they hang up around the store. Instead of writing his name, he pointed to me and said, “I want to write down her company’s name because she’s just been so nice. And I like her smile.” I flashed him my pearly whites again, thanking Dr. Reagan and Dr. Buehler in my head for all the work they did in my mouth. Then I turned around so he could see the back of the shirt and get the spelling right.

I smiled and said, “Thank you,” and he smiled back before gathering his groceries and wishing me a good day.

How do I wear my t-shirt? Well, I started wearing mine for charity:water. Then I wore it so I could wear a t-shirt and jeans to work. Next thing you know, I’m wearing it for pediatric cancer research. How will you wear it?

The Red Cross team working their magic.

100 lives. In one day 33 brave people were able to save 100 lives for 30 minutes of their time. It’s incredible isn’t it?

When you see the poster on the wall promoting the event or you recieve an e-mail in your inbox your first thought isn’t (at least mine isn’t) “man I can save 3 people’s lives today”. It’s more like” I’ve got so much work to do today how can I find the time.” or “Do I really want to get poked in the arm?”  But when I really look at it; I saved 3 lives today.

Albert and John from the IT team, doing their part.

I’m not a doctor, I’m not a dentist. I don’t save lives.   I’m in Marketing, I spend my day trying to convince you how cool things are or why you can’t live without my product or service.  But not today, today I’m a life saver.  So thank you 33 brave life savers for giving up your time, your arm, and your blood. Thank you to everyone who volunteered who wasn’t able to give, all of  you made a difference today.

Michelle Moreno showing off her new Cheetah Snuggy

If saving lives isn’t cool enough, think how great Michelle Moreno felt she won a cheetah print Snuggie in the blood drive raffle.  Looking good Michelle!

We’re going to do it again in November and maybe next time you’ll get the chance to save a life.  If you’re not here at support contact your local Red Cross.

Give blood and save a life or maybe 3.

Click Here For More Photos!

On February 5^th, 2010 – PDS affiliated offices participated in the American Dental Association^® (ADA) “Give Kids a Smile^®” event to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. Forty PDS-affiliated offices – in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs, United Way, local schools, churches and homeless shelters – provided a day of free dentistry, including dental exams, digital x-rays, cleanings, fillings, sealants and extractions, to more than 400 children throughout California, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado.

“We are very proud of our affiliated offices that spent the day volunteering for children in need,” said Steve Thorne, Pacific Dental Services founder and president.

This was the fifth consecutive year PDS has participated in “Give Kids a Smile^®,” “and below are a few of the stories that came out of this touching event.

We had a little boy named Joshua. He and his father were here at 7:35 for their 8am appt. Joshua needed 8 extractions and 4 fillings and was so sweet about it all. Jessica the dental asst was taking Joshua’s x-rays and he began to cry as he looked at them, Jessica noticed and said “Do your teeth hurt?” He said “yes.” Dr Hashemi after completing an exam decided it would be too much for the boy to go through all the work and asked if I minded if he brought Joshua back to complete the other half of his mouth on his own time. I said “of course”. Joshua’s dad works for very little delivering blankets to the homeless, and they don’t provide insurance to the members of the organization. He was so good during his treatment and his dad was so very thankful for what we had done for his son. I went to the operatory to check on Joshua and he was watching a movie with a ton of gauze in his mouth, I said “you did really good today Joshua”, he shook his head yes. This is the reason we do this event for kids just like Joshua.

Katrina Davis – Stockton

The day went great we saw nine kids.  We did have one boy from the homeless shelter that is 14.  When he was 8 he broke his front tooth so he doesn’t have anything there.  The root tip is still there but we’re looking to see if maybe we can help him in some way?  His mom left him 8 months ago.  He and his dad live in the shelter.  We had a lot of great kids did a lot of fills and sealants. Everyone had a lot of fun and the staff even had ponytails.

Sue Leverett – Hesperia 2

I know we were heartbroken when the first time anyone had shown one of our “kids” how to brush and take care of his teeth was when he arrived to our office at 15 years of age. I was so thankful we had bilingual staff on hand to assist and show them step-by-step. Our Doctors were very generous in their efforts to assist the children as much as they could. All the children left the office smiling and saying that going to the Dentist “wasn’t so scary after all. They also loved their kid-themed goody bags.

Nicole Armstrong – Thousand Oaks

These examples are just a snapshot of why “We Serve”

“I had previously donated to the Red Cross to help Haiti and then I saw a special segment on CNN and I knew I had to do more.” said San Clemente Owner Doctor Darin Reagan.   That’s exactly what Dr. Reagan and his team at San Clemente Dental Group did.

The office decided that they would volunteer their services, come in on a Saturday and partner with their patients.  San Clemente Dental Group contacted their patients through e-mail and phone to offer an opportunity to receive previously diagnosed dentistry for a flat donation to the Red Cross in support of Haiti.

“We wanted to do something to make a difference and help those poor people and this was a way to get involved.” said Barb Vartanian office manager.  The office targeted patients who needed a crown or an onlay so that they could put their CEREC machine to work and provide patients with the “right fit” all in a day.

It was a great opportunity for the patient to get a great deal with a tax write-off, receive the dentistry they needed, and help someone in need.  Talk about a win, win, win for the patient.

Dr. Reagan and his team were able to win as well because it allowed them to strengthen their relationship with their patients and use their talents to help others who desperately need assistance.  At the end of the day the San Clemente team was able to see 10 patients and raise $5,000 for the victims of Haiti.

Great work Dr. Reagan, Barb, and the rest of the San Clemente team.

You can also watch the above video on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlXrxnteg8E

On November 10th over 41 people volunteered to participate in the PDS Blood Drive. Not everyone who volunteered was able to donate, but we were able reach our goal and collect 35 good units and save up to 105 lives. It’s not always easy for every participant to give blood but the American Red Cross appreciates the sacrifice and is extremely grateful to all of the brave people who participated.

Christi Kulpa - Winner of the amazing Zebra Print Snuggie!

Congratulations to Christi Kulpa who was the winner of the first ever PDS Blood Drive Raffle as she took home a beautiful zebra print Snuggie. Thanks again to everyone who participated.

Be on the look out for our next blood drive in April 2010 and sign up to save a life

Owner Doctor Cari Callaway Beautifying the Streets.

The Las Vegas region had plenty of somebodies; 30 to be exact. All ready to make a difference in their community. It was “Make a Difference Day” and the Las Vegas Region partnered with the Volunteer Center of Southern Nevada (an affiliate of the Hands on Network) to help beautify a local neighborhood.

“Make A Difference Day” is a national day of volunteerism and is known as America’s largest day of doing good. Last year, 3 million people across the country made a difference in their communities by completing thousands of projects to ensure a brighter tomorrow.

The Las Vegas Region and their families lent a hand in repainting curbs, fire hydrants and light posts. Promoting their offices with their new “Got Teeth” T-shirts, our Las Vegas team was ready to start the day.

“Every day we have the opportunity to impact the communities that support our teams. Volunteerism is a great way to thank those communities and give something in return.” - Terri Reitz Kraus

Specialty Team Lead Terri Reitz Krauss and Regional Manager Terri Yannone were instrumental in working with the team and promoting the event amongst their offices. Serving is an important part of the PDS culture and the Terri’s are a great example of that.

The community was very grateful to all of the PDS participants for getting up early on a Saturday and making a difference in their neighborhood. Once the job was done; the morning ended with a bounce house for the kids and a community BBQ; which was the neighborhoods way of saying thank you.

This is my opportunity once more to say thank you to the Terri’s and to the Las Vegas Region for making a difference!