Interfaith Dental

My first visit with Interfaith Dental moved me. It showed that there is hope for those who work yet have no insurance and are poor. Interfaith works with the working poor to provide comprehensive dental care.

They shared the story of a woman who spent years hiding her teeth because of poor dental health. She didn't smile for family pictures. She covered her mouth when she laughed. Her story inspired me. The song,“I Love To See You Smile” was written after seeing the video they played during the United Way visit a few years ago. Her husband commented that he “forgot that she had dimples” after years of not seeing her smile. Thus, the opening line to the song. (complete lyrics below)

One day, a couple years after our agency visit, my sister-in-law, a single mother of two boys, was complaining of a toothache during a family dinner. She said she didn't have dental insurance as she was in school at the time studying for her RN while working part-time at a doctors office. I told her about Interfaith Dental and she went down there and applied. They accepted her as a patient and she got all of the work she needed done and got set up on a payment plan. She eventually graduated with her RN and is now a pediatric hospice nurse. She didn't need a handout, she needed a reasonable solution to a dental issue and Interfaith Dental was her answer.

Interfaith Dental gets about $135,000 per year from United Way, but just being a United Way Agency gives them credibility and keeps them focused on their mission of provided complete care for each patient. They measure their success not by the number of fillings they do or patients they see. They measure it by how many patients have completed their treatment.

I personally know one success story and am thankful to Journal Communications for allowing us to make agency visits. Without it, my sister-in-law may have never known about Interfaith Dental and have completed her RN.

I Love To See You Smile

By Gary Michael Smith © 2005

I forgot that you have dimples

I haven't seen you smile in years

I'm so glad to see you happy

I think that I might shed a tear

You are beautiful and lovely

Darlin' just the way you are

But I forgot that you have dimples

And when you smile you're a star

I love to see you smile

Your dimples drive me wild

Please don't hide

Your pearly whites

I love to see you smile

I don't think you know the power

That a smile like yours possesses

You could put the world in order

You could turn no's into yeses

You may think I'm being simple

For going on and on this way

But I forgot that you have dimples

And your smile makes my day

I love to see you smile

Your dimples drive me wild

Please don't hide

Your pearly whites

I love to see you smile