Studies show that people are catching on to the social and emotional importance of a healthy, beautiful smile. Smile makeovers were previously thought to be a cosmetic procedure for only the rich and famous, but it is quickly becoming a common household term for many Americans today.
Even more than your clothing, posture, or other things about yourself, the condition of your teeth and smile speaks volumes. When you feel confident about having a strong, bright, and well-aligned set of teeth, you subconsciously smile more. You are friendlier and more secure, and other people sense that, trust you, and want to be around you.
Benefits of a smile makeover
A beautiful smile communicates your mood and health. In fact, recent studies have revealed that smiling, as opposed to looking angry, sour, or unhappy, can benefit your life in multiple ways.
- Smiling causes your own state-of-mind to be positive. Whether you are sad, angry, or bored, a smile can easily transform your mood. You begin to view the world in a more positive way, which opens the door to more positive interactions throughout your day.
- Smiling causes your brain to automatically release chemicals that alert your body you’re happy. Even when forcing a smile, the brain still releases those chemicals. So, the more you smile, the happier you feel, and the more you feel like smiling.
- Smiling can change the way people around you are feeling. When you approach a person or group of people with a smile on your face, you can change the reactions of the people you interact with. A smile is contagious; so when you smile, they will automatically smile back.
- Smiling is easy and attractive. You use fewer muscles when smiling compared to when you frown, and a great smile brightens your face.
Planning a dental makeover
When you have missing, misaligned, chipped, or unattractive teeth, you can feel self-conscious about smiling or speaking in public. If your smile is not at its best, you may feel held back socially and unable to reach your life goals professionally. Even normal day-to-day tasks can seem more daunting because of your life insecurities.
A healthy smile not only makes you more attractive, confident, and approachable, but also gives you a healthy mouth. Amazing how such a small thing can impact your life in so many ways.
Fortunately, a smile makeover can help to create a better, brighter, and healthier smile using one or more dental procedures, such as whitening, tooth implants, braces, tooth veneers, and re-contouring, among others. The necessary procedures are unique to your dental needs, and in just a couple of visits to your dentist, you can boost your self-esteem and look years younger with your new smile.
How to get a free smile makeover near me
We all deserve to have a lovely smile; but not everyone can afford one. Many people across the country struggle to make a daily living, such that they cannot allocate some of their finances to fixing their teeth and smiles. Fortunately, there’re quite a few state initiatives and nonprofits that aim at helping people to access free dental makeovers near them.
Here are some places you can get a free dental makeover:
State-funded Medicaid or CHIP
Medicaid was created to assist those without insurance or who are unable to pay for essential medical care. For those with low income, it is an excellent program (again, based on government poverty requirements) for funding your dental makeover project.
Medicaid assists people by providing a wide range of healthcare services, including dental care. Free medical care is available to anyone who is:
- Less than 18-years old
- Over 65-years old
- Disabled
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is a program that is available for kids. It follows a precise plan to provide for their medical needs. The bare minimum should be:
- Infection and pain relief
- Restorative dentistry
- Upkeep of dental health
The Dental Lifeline Network
The Dental Lifeline Network offers a myriad of programs with the sole goal of giving people a reason to smile. This non-profit organization strives to assist people who require dental care but are unable to pay for it. And the best thing is that they allow all dental procedures, provided you need it, and qualify for their program.
Its top programs include:
- Donated dental services – This service is provided by volunteers. In the US, it has 15,000 dentists and 3,400 dental labs. Since 1985, they have raised $500 million in donations for those who cannot afford even basic medical care and have so far been able to assist 165,600 people.
- Will You See One Veteran: Only 15% of veterans are qualified for dental care through the Veterans Health Administration, despite the fact that they are more prone to encounter poorer oral health problems. This nonprofit assists in getting these patients free dental care. You can take advantage of this opportunity if you are a veteran who served your country in battle. They collaborate with a sizable group of people, including dentists and volunteers.
But to qualify for this free dental makeover service, you must first prove that you have a low income and no insurance. Otherwise, you must be over 61 years old, permanently disabled, or have a dental emergency to get the free treatments.
Give Kids A Smile
This is an annual project of the American Dental Association (ADA) held in the United States to promote oral health for kids. To participate, you need to prove that there’s a child you’re currently taking care of, after which you’ll have access to screenings, preventive and restorative treatments, as well as oral health education.
Give Back A Smile
This is a unique program targeting victims of domestic abuse in the US, who have suffered a dental injury, and are aged 18 years and above. You have to reach out to them personally, and then make a contribution to qualify for the program. This could be in the form of a $20 donation, volunteering for community service for a period of one year, or getting a certificate for helping a charity foundation. Once you qualify, you will let the dentists determine the best treatments for you, with the exception of fixing previous dental restorations and treating cavities.
Dentistry from the Heart
This nonprofit organization uses donations to provide free dental care for patients in need by linking them with local dental offices near you. This initiative has helped over 500,000 people and spent well over 25 million dollars across the globe. Participating countries include the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Every adult (over 18 years old) is eligible, regardless of your income or dental insurance status. You only need to visit their website to find a participating dental office near you and show up. Their dental treatments include tooth extraction, cleaning, or filling.
Missions of Mercy
This nonprofit organization visits different states while targeting areas with few to none dental care providers. You can check on their website if they’re running a project near you for an opportunity to get free dental services such as tooth extraction, cleaning, complex restorations, and even post-dental-surgery recovery care. They don’t have any restrictions, but you should expect a scan to determine what dental services are most pertinent for you. You will then be referred to a participating dental clinic near you for the procedure.
AAPD Foundation
The mission of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) Foundation is to promote dental health in children. They make investments in charitable organizations of all sizes provided the have the same goals of helping others. They’ve given $8 million to 153 organizations so far, benefiting more than 700,000 kids. They operate by applying the Medicaid and CHIP eligibility standards. To find out if they collaborate with any dental practices near you, you can check their website.
America’s Dentists Care Foundation
The America’s Dentists Care Foundation operates in a similar way to AAPD by directing finances to charitable organizations with similar goals of giving free dental makeovers to underserved populations, such as Missions of Mercy. Participants will have access to basic needs of equipment, structure, and also hygienic equipment. You can check their schedule and see if there is a chance that you can get a free dental makeover near you.
Smiles For Life
Smiles For Life is a nonprofit that does not exactly give 100 percent free dental makeovers. Rather, they offer free teeth bleaching, and require participants to donate afterwards. These donations make it possible for them to continue offering assistance to people in areas where dental treatment is unavailable. So this is a great way to enjoy discounted teeth whitening while giving back so another person can improve their smile as well.
