Give the Gift of a Healthy Smile

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All I want for Christmas is straight front teeth.

Kansas City, MO (Vocus/PRWEB) December 21, 2010

“All I want for Christmas is straight front teeth,” shares Taylor, a 12 year old from Denver, CO who would rather receive braces than the usual holiday gifts this year.

Taylor is not alone. During the holidays, parents have to make tough choices with regards to stretching their family’s dollars. With the average cost of orthodontic treatment at $5,000, many parents find themselves postponing or giving up on providing braces for their children.

This year, parents have a new resource to make orthodontic treatment more affordable, thanks to Smiles Change Lives.

Smiles Change Lives (SCL) is a national nonprofit organization that connects children in need with caring orthodontists. Many of the organization’s 370 orthodontic providers have immediate openings for approved SCL patients. With dozens of orthodontists joining the program each month, the organization's capacity to serve more children in more states continues to increase.

"We're reaching out to kids and families in every state. As orthodontists, we know it's important to help children at the time in their lives when they most need this care," shares Dr. Randall Markarian, an SCL orthodontic provider from the St. Louis area.

Give a child the gift of a new smile in 2011. SCL is looking for hundreds of applicants, ages 11-18 anywhere in the U.S., who desperately need, but cannot afford, braces. To apply for assistance, please download an application or request information by phone at 888-900-3554 to obtain an application via mail. Information is also available in Spanish.

To help reward those who refer children and families to the program, SCL has created a contest that runs through Friday, January 14th, 2011. Details about the contest can be found here. Prizes range from $100 to $500 for the person or organization who refers the most applicants to SCL.

Smiles Change Lives serves working families who want to help their kids have a more successful future. A healthy, attractive smile is an important tool in achieving that goal. To determine if a family meets SCL’s financial guidelines, visit http://www.smileschangelives.org/qualify.

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