Greater Los Angeles Children's Dental Center
The Children’s Dental Center of Greater Los Angeles (TCDC) has been stand-alone provider of quality oral health education and treatment services to dentally under-served children and their caregivers throughout the Greater Los Angeles since 1995
Your contributions enable our non-profit to provide important dental services and treatments to children.
Our Vision
To improve the lives of dentally underserved children and their caregivers in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Our Mission
As a nonprofit organization, we are committed to eradicating dental disease and promoting overall health by providing a dental home for underserved children and their caregivers by providing exceptional and comprehensive prevention, education, and treatment services.
Our Brand Promise
Why We Care
Today, California still ranks near last in the nation on the status of children’s oral health, with almost 20% of California children under the age of 12 still never having seen a dentist, despite the AAPD recommendations of a “first visit” before one year of age.
In spite of a preponderance of knowledge about the impact of untreated dental decay, and the gap in services for low-income children, state funding in California for children’s oral health is now even less adequate due to continuing cuts to the state budget for children’s healthcare. (Children NOW – Children’s Oral Health Crisis in California). In particular:
• The elimination of adult Denti-Cal slashed income for safety-net dentists who also treated over 3.Medi-Cal covers over 5 million children.
• The indefinite suspension of the state’s Children’s Dental Disease Prevention Program, which provided school-based oral health care to over 300,000 children per year.
• Consistently weakening benefits and “phase out” of the state’s Healthy Families Program. Healthy Families children have been transferred to Medi-Cal, a system that is already taxed in its ability to provide even adequate coverage to all in need
Our History
Given the preventable nature of oral disease, TCDC originally envisioned an integrated combination of preventive, education and treatment services tailored to each child and leading to happier, healthier, more productive – even longer lives. Our providers' and families' collaboration is critical to achieving our mission and, more importantly, contributing to the development of a healthy local economy.
The Center first opened its doors in 1995, providing comprehensive dental treatment to children from low-income families who are dentally underserved. The facility quickly became known as The Smile Store.
Following the Surgeon General’s landmark report on oral health in 2000, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry defined the elements of the “dental home model” and promoted its adoption through recommended guidelines and best practices for the delivery of oral health care to children in order to move towards the reduction and eventual elimination of dental disease. TCDC has enthusiastically embraced the model and has tweaked it as needed over time to better serve the region's low-income, urban ethnic/racial minorities. The model provides a proven framework that moves far beyond the “treatment” focus of traditional dental offices, incorporating activities that engage the patients and caregivers, increase their knowledge, and support behaviors leading to improved oral health and overall health and well-being. TCDC’s success has influenced the acceptance of the model to the extent that area philanthropies have funded initiatives to increase the number of “dental home” providers.
To further practice as dental home, in 2000, The Shannon Kelly Toothfairy Cottage, our home base for community outreach, began to offer off-site education and screenings and field trips to The Cottage. Our goal is to assist our patients and their families in gaining the knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions that lead to behaviors consistent with oral health promotion and disease prevention, as well as improved overall health, by presenting educational messages chairside and bringing those messages to the broader community.
