DALLAS – Some of the Dallas Mavericks tiniest fans now have bright, beautiful smiles to display thanks to a recent TeamSmile event that took place at the Mavs’ Lympo Practice Facility that gave over 200 students free dental care. Hundreds of volunteers across North Texas helped turned the practice courts into a dental wonderland, decked out in shiny chairs primed for dental cleanings and fillings with sports serving as the backdrop in a cheerful and upbeat atmosphere catered to children.
The Mavs partnered with BIOLASE (NASDAQ: BIOL), iKids Dental and TeamSmile for the first year to provide life-changing dental care for hundreds of underserved children from Dallas ISD and Boys and Girls Club to receive minimally invasive and virtually pain-free dental care. Care included dental screenings, preventive measures, and onsite radiographs and laser treatments.
TeamSmile, an organization co-founded by Kansas City Chiefs’ punter Dustin Colquitt, is considered the nation’s premier advocacy group that supports life-changing dental care for underserved and underprivileged children.
Former Dallas Maverick and 2011 NBA Champion, Shawn Marion, served as the Mavericks team ambassador for the event and two-way rookie guard Daryl Macon came to visit with the children and volunteers.
“This is an extraordinary event to visit and see,” Macon said. “It’s an enjoyable atmosphere catered to children, and they have all these different stations for the kids to visit. Going to the dentist can be a scary experience, even for adults, so it’s pretty cool to see how they make it a gentle and easy process for all the kids.”
Over $80,000 in dental care and education was provided (average of $415 per patient) and iKids Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics served as the lead dentists. Almost 150 volunteers helped at the inaugural Dallas Mavericks TeamSmile event, including 19 dentists, 22 dental assists and 11 dental hygienists. TeamSmile was able to screen 192 children and provide free X-rays for 168 students, according to final data.
The event was set up like a carnival atmosphere to ease the tension that many children feel when seeing the dentist for the first time. There was even a dance floor and DJ with Marion leading in the Cupid Shuffle. Marion also wore sparkly star sunglasses and sat with the children as dentists carefully examined, cleaned and treated their teeth. He then rotated to center court and helped the children learn how to brush on giant green stuffed animal frogs.
“Partnering with the Mavericks, BIOLASE, and iKids Dental on this important initiative is extremely important to us and the children of Dallas,” said TeamSmile Executive Director John McCarthy. “By exposing underserved children to dental procedures and the importance of oral hygiene, we are setting them up to be proactive in their dental health for years to come. Creating a fun day with players, mascots and dancers helps children get interested in their own health and learn about the excellent treatment advances made with
The children rotated to various stations and learned to correctly brush their teeth by practicing on giant stuffed animals to the tunes of popular songs. In another corner, a group of volunteers painted the kids’ faces with rainbows and glitter and gave them free neon t-shirts and other gear.
The event also featured the Mavs ManiAACs, dancers and team mascot, Champ, along with Macon and Marion.
When he wasn’t dancing with the kids, Marion took time to visit and thank the Waterlase dentists from the Dallas-Fort Worth area who worked the event and took time away from their own dental practices to serve some of the neediest children in North Texas.
The Dallas Mavericks coaches and players also moved their practice to the American Airlines Center to ensure the children and volunteers had plenty of space to work and serve the youngsters.
This is the third initiative that BIOLASE has worked on with TeamSmile, following their successful programs in Los Angeles in November 2018 and January 2019. BIOLASE said they will continue to support more of these initiatives to work to advance dental care and dental laser awareness across the nation.
“Exposure to proper dental hygiene at a young age is important for maintaining lifelong oral health,” said BIOLASE CEO Todd Norbe. “With our partnership with TeamSmile and the Dallas Mavericks, our goal is to lessen the fear associated with dentistry and give children a chance to meet and connect with their sports idols. When children better understand these dental procedures, their fear of them is relieved, and they are more likely to attend dental checkups with greater regularity.”
This year’s participants came from Oneismo Hernandez Elementary, Faith Family Academy, Boys and Girls Club and Jubilee Community Center.
ABOUT BIOLASE, Inc.
BIOLASE, Inc. is a medical device company that develops, manufactures, markets, and sells laser systems in dentistry and medicine and also markets, sells, and distributes dental imaging equipment, including three-dimensional CAD/CAM intra-oral scanners and digital dentistry software. BIOLASE’s products advance the practice of dentistry and medicine for patients and healthcare professionals. BIOLASE’s proprietary laser products incorporate approximately 220 patented and 95 patent-pending technologies designed to provide biologically clinically superior performance with less pain and faster recovery times. BIOLASE’s innovative products provide cutting-edge technology at competitive prices to deliver the best results for dentists and patients. BIOLASE’s principal products are revolutionary dental laser systems that perform a broad range of dental procedures, including cosmetic and complex surgical applications, and a full line of dental imaging equipment. BIOLASE has sold over 36,200 laser systems to date in over 90 countries around the world. Laser products under development address BIOLASE’s core dental market and other adjacent medical and consumer markets. For updates and information on BIOLASE, Inc. and laser dentistry, visit BIOLASE online at www.biolase.com, Facebook at www.facebook.com/biolase, Twitter at www.twitter.com/biolaseincand LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/biolase.
ABOUT TEAMSMILE
TeamSmile is the nation’s premier advocacy group that partners oral health professionals with professional athletic organizations to provide life-changing dental care to underserved children in our communities. By partnering with professional sports organizations, we create an experience that develops bonds between children’s organizations, oral health professionals, surrounding communities, and the athletes that solidify the message that oral health care is vitally important to long-term health. Through this experience, children receive free oral health education, screening, treatment, and are taught that the mouth and body are linked for overall health.
ABOUT iKids PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY AND ORTHODONTICS
iKids Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics has dedicated the past 10 years in serving the pediatric oral health needs in Texas. Following the vision of the founder, and CEO, Dr. Randy Hamilton, DDS, iKids Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics is nationally recognized for their customer service and prides itself in giving ALL children the best quality of care by creating a safe, fun-filled environment while utilizing cutting edge technology from a highly trained team of specialists and support staff. With over 15 award-winning locations, across the Dallas/DFW metroplex, iKids Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics will continue to strive for excellence in creating a premier dental home for all those entrusted in their care. To learn more about iKids Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, please visit their website at www.ikidsdental.com or by FB @iKidsPediatricDentistry
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