Smile for a Lifetime scholarship recipient Bree Smentkowski saw her new smile for the first time after two years of wearing braces at Boulton Orthodontics on Tuesday.
The Smile for a Lifetime Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides free orthodontic treatment to individuals aged 11-18 who demonstrate financial need.
“I was nervous that it would be a lot of work to take care of the braces and it would be difficult and unusual, but everything’s been better than I actually thought it would be,” said Bree Smentkowski, 15.
Smile for a Lifetime scholarship recipient Bree Smentkowski saw her new smile for the first time after two years of wearing braces at Boulton Orthodontics on Tuesday.
The Smile for a Lifetime Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides free orthodontic treatment to individuals aged 11-18 who demonstrate financial need.
“I was nervous that it would be a lot of work to take care of the braces and it would be difficult and unusual, but everything’s been better than I actually thought it would be,” said Bree Smentkowski, 15.
When the process was complete, Bree Smentkowski not only had a new smile but a new attitude.
“I feel definitely more confident now with my new teeth and more confident in myself with being able to talk to people about it,” Bree Smentkowski said.
Bree Smentkowski’s new smile yielded not only surprise from her but an emotional reaction from her mother.
“I wanted to cry,” said Diana Smentkowski, Bree Smentkowski’s mother. “There’s hope for people who can’t afford braces and they can actually go through the process to get braces for their children when it’s very expensive and long process.”
Scholarship recipients are selected by a panel of board members based on the strength of their application form, essay question answers, and letters of recommendation.
“Orthodontic treatment depends largely on patient compliance and so it’s a nice tool to help to see if we’re going to be helping these kids because if it goes bad, then we could be doing more harm than good,” said Dr. Bart R. Boulton of Boulton Orthodontics.
As a Cypress resident since childhood, Boulton feels that giving back to the community is important, and his office has been a part of Smile for a Lifetime for three years.
“A smile is how you greet the world and it’s not just the vanity or the aesthetics of it; it’s to see kids have confidence especially in your teenage years because it’s a rough go for any kid,” Boulton said. “Having an organization that facilitates the connection between patients who really need that treatment and connecting them with orthodontists. It provides a very valuable treatment and long term effect on these kids’ lives.”
Though Smile for a Lifetime has over 100 chapters all across North America, what’s unique about Orange County’s chapter is that it’s run through its corporate sponsor Ormco, an OC-based company that manufactures the brackets and wires the patients use.
With the help of Ormco, Smile for a Lifetime’s Orange County chapter can give young people with financial need more beautiful and healthier smiles.
“Having a healthy bite has long term effects like preventing migraines and headaches, improves facial structure so…your face is set for aging beyond treatment,” said Brandy Lewis, Director of Product Management, Digital Platform at Ormco. “Also with orthodontic treatment, there’s a self-esteem aspect. Our patients are in high school, college, even junior high. It can be a rough time for those who need to improve their smile a little bit.”
The foundation not only ensures that its patients smile for a lifetime but that they make their communities smile as well.
“Our philosophy is a pay it forward philosophy so often times those recipients of orthodontic treatment pay it forward by doing community service projects in their local community,” Lewis said.
For more information about the Smile for a Lifetime scholarship, visit www.ocs4l.org.