Smile Again
Did you know that in Dr. Nelle’s spare time she is president of the Metro Denver Dental Foundation(MDDF)? MDDF runs a program called Smile Again, which provides cost free restorative dental care to survivors of domestic abuse in an effort to help individuals restore their oral health, assist in their recovery and support their efforts toward self-sufficiency.
Read more about Smile Again:
One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year nationally, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health services. The situation in Colorado reflects national data. According to a 2009 24-hour survey of domestic violence programs in Colorado cited by the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV), over 1,200 victims were served in one day. In the same day, there were 160 unmet requests for services due to lack of funding and staff. Too many people are in need of help, and not enough of them receive the help they need.
Oral health is essential to everyone’s health and well being. The Smile Again Program is a community service dental care project with a focus on overall health and empowerment. Thanks to the investment of over 175 volunteer dentists, smiles once deemed beyond repair, damaged by abuse and neglect, are telling a new story – a story of positive impact that only dentistry can tell.
Way to go Dr. Nelle!
