The Virginia Brown Community Orthodontic Partnership was established in 1997 as a community-based orthodontic program to help children from families who could not afford the full cost of braces, whose self-esteem was impacted by having crooked teeth, receive orthodontic treatment. Now known as Smiles Change Lives (SCL), it has grown into a national organization with close to 750 orthodontists participating in the program. To date, nearly 12,000 children nationwide have received life-changing orthodontic treatment through SCL.
This is due to SCL’s unique model, which matches qualified children, who need orthodontic treatment, with caring orthodontists willing to provide such treatment. Each family must agree to abide by the program’s rules and contribute a set amount to SCL to be approved for the program. SCL uses these funds to recruit more doctors willing to treat more children. In this way, each family truly “pays it forward” – by helping their own child, they are making it possible for the next child to be treated as well. Since its inception, more than 98% of the children approved for SCL have successfully completed treatment.