When Dr. Smith and Travis Smith purchased Dentistry With TLC in 2007 they decided to create a community service day to provide free dentistry for the less fortunate in our area.  "God has blessed our lives in so many ways and we wanted to use this day to give thanks for those blessings while reaching out to help people in our area", said Dr. Smith.  When they presented this idea to the staff of Dentistry With TLC, they were met with overwhelming support.

Over the course of the next 10 years, the staff of Dentistry with TLC willingly gave up a day of regular pay each year to volunteer their time and expertise to provide free cleanings, fillings and extractions for over 1000 patients totaling over $200,000!  Helped by family members of Dr. Smith and employees’ families each Dentistry With a Heart Day has been a huge success!

Dentistry With a Heart Day has had countless volunteers, over a dozen doctors and even special guests over the years, including but not limited to: Kenny Battle and Larry Smith, former men’s basketball players from the University of Illinois.

The reason for Dentistry With a Heart Day, of course, is the people Dr. Smith and staff get to serve. Dr. Smith explains that the patients who are served on Dentistry With a Heart Day are not regular patients of the practice.  “My staff and I have never met most of the patients here.  We simply open our doors and serve the first 80 patients who arrive, no strings attached.”  Patients reported finding out about the event from many different sources including local newspapers, radio stations, church bulletins, internet, community service organizations and word-of-mouth.

Ken Wienski, a patient from O’Fallon, Missouri in 2011 shared, “My x-ray technician went above and beyond today.  I sincerely appreciate her heart.  All the people here are friendly, courteous and respectful while providing a blessing through their generous services.”  Betty Witcher, a patient from Godfrey added, “These are very pleasant people.  They act like they really love their patients.” Megan McDonald, a volunteer and dental assistant at Dentistry With TLC added, “One of the reasons I was attracted to working at Dentistry With TLC was because of their commitment to community service.”

At the end of every Dentistry With a Heart Day, all the volunteers bask in the gratitude of the happy Dentistry with TLC patients.  Like Dr. Smith always says, “We learned first-hand today that it’s better to give than to receive.”