Check Latest Updates About Our Orthodontic Programs

Our core program is the Orthodontic Care Program. Here we provide braces for children suffering with severe orthodontic and oral problems, growing up in a poor or working poor family situation, and who have been turned down by Medicaid. 

Working with many community partners, we identify a child, diagnose the problem, verify and validate the need, meet with the family, and finance the costs directly with the chosen orthodontic office until treatment is successfully complete. 

We understand a child who is self-conscious about their teeth may shy away from participating in school or other social activities. With proper treatment, they may experience improved confidence and self esteem, and become more productive individuals as they move from school and into their adult life. In addition, children who receive orthodontic treatment could become overall healthier individuals. 

The average income of families applying for help in 2021 was $26,773.00. A total of 79 applications were received from local families. Of these families, 24 children were approved by the Board of Directors for orthodontic treatment. The children came from Akron, Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls, Massillon, Ravenna, Streetsboro, Stow, Tallmadge, Uniontown and Wadsworth. Their average age was 13 years old.

Our secondary program is the Dr. Milton Rubin Oral Health Education Program. This is an educational class for children, taught by professionals, introducing and explaining the importance of oral health, tooth brushing, and eating healthy in a fun and interactive way. 

Last school year, we taught this program to 2,563 children in local third grade classrooms, in public, private and parochial schools.

Our instructors demonstrated proper tooth care (eating healthy, tooth brushing and flossing regularly, wearing mouth protection in contact sports), and gave each child a personal toothbrush, tooth paste, dental floss, disclosing tablets, a tooth brushing calendar and fun work sheets. In some cases, this was the first introduction to personal tooth brushing a child receives.  

Meet Hallie. She’s just full of life. Loves school, her friends, talking, singing, cooking, animals, being outdoors and pretty much anything and everything. As you can see, Hallie loves to smile, even though she knows her teeth look a little funny. She has struggled with her teeth for as long as she can remember and just wanted to get them fixed. Hallie’s orthodontic treatment will include a palette expander, braces and a lot of patience as her teeth move into place. 

The process will take many years, but in the end we know her smile will be as big as her excitement for life. 

While crooked teeth are easy to see, often children like Hallie may quietly carry emotional baggage that can’t be seen. They can be socially stigmatized, bullied, and discriminated against, all resulting in lack of confidence and low self-esteem. And worse, teeth left untreated may lead to periodontal disease which can increase the risk for atherosclerosis-induced conditions such as coronary heart disease and stroke, complications of diabetes, and adverse pregnancy outcomes in young women.