Operation Healthy Teeth

Mouth and tooth pain are among the top ten reasons kids miss school. Tooth decay is
the most common chronic disease of childhood. Left untreated, a child may suffer:

•  pain
•  problems eating and speaking
•  serious infection
•  unwillingness to play
•  inability to concentrate and learn

Operation Healthy Teeth provides a lifeline to low-income families by funding urgent 
dental treatment for children in our community aged pre-K through 19 who have no 
other access to dental care. This includes families not covered under any state or federal 
assistance program and those whose families do not earn enough to purchase insurance.

The focus of Operation Healthy teeth is strictly on children in dental crisis – suffering
pain, unable to eat or focus on school. School counselors, social workers or nurses and
dental professionals refer students to Uplift Community Alliance. These professionals
screen applicants to ensure all other financial resources have been exhausted. Once
the child is accepted for treatment, Uplift Community Alliance or the referring party sets
up an appointment with one of the team of participating dentists or orthodontists who
treat the patients in their own offices.