Future Smiles

Health insurance companies and even Medi-Cal still think of orthodontics as a non-essential, even esoteric expense, even for kids – one that they’re not willing to cover. But brace yourself for the truth: getting braces is by no means simply a cosmetic procedure. 

For kids who have misaligned teeth – including crooked teeth, gaps between teeth, overcrowded teeth, overbites, underbites, crossbites and misaligned jaws – having teeth that don’t fit together properly can cause a lifetime of issues. These issues can be both  physical, including chewing function, inability to properly care for teeth and speech clarity – and emotional issues that threaten mental health. 

Enter Future Smiles. The nonprofit program connects low-income public school students facing significant issues of misaligned teeth, with partner orthodontists who provide braces and follow-up care at virtually no cost to the families. 

“Orthodontic care costs anywhere from $8- to $10,000 these days, and children from low-income families have no way to afford that,” explained MaryEllen Rehse, Executive Director of Children and Family Resource Services, which is a nonprofit partner of the Santa Barbara County Education Office. “There are literally hundreds of kids in our county that really need braces each year who aren’t able to access that care. Future Smiles allows us to identify the kids who have the most severe needs and arrange for them to get the treatment they need. It really is an equity issue because there are whole populations of people left out of this benefit because of the high economic costs.”

Rehse reiterated that not being able to get braces is truly a healthcare issue with ramifications that continue long beyond childhood.

“It’s the same way with a lot of preventative work that isn’t covered, because it’s not considered an urgent need or emergency,” she said. “But if somebody doesn’t have a bite that’s properly aligned or teeth that are crowded, they’re in for problems sooner or later, because the teeth are going to wear down much faster and perhaps need to be pulled. Same thing with the overlapping or crowded teeth. Even if you take care of them, when teeth are in that position, they can’t be properly cleaned. So you get decay and might lose those teeth sooner than necessary.” 

To be sure, the mental health impacts in childhood and beyond are equally, if not more, severe. Studies have shown a clear correlation between kids with obvious teeth problems and their being bullied at school, while adults may miss out on career opportunities and a healthy social life due both to stigma and the damage to self-confidence.

Indeed, Future Smiles’ program staff members discovered that some students in our community afflicted with misaligned teeth kept wearing face masks even after Covid restrictions were lifted, and not to reduce chances of infection. In fact, one student who was being bullied about her teeth actually attempted to take her own life. 

That child, who was able to get braces thanks to Future Smiles, was obviously thrilled to participate. 

But the program also carefully screens everyone to make sure the funds will be well-spent. Each of the kids has to already be practicing good dental hygiene and be willing to commit in writing to following through with all aspects and phases of treatment from start to finish. 

“Our vetting process includes interviewing both the parents and the student to see what their motivation is,” Rehse said, “and to make sure that they’re good candidates for the program. This is a long-term commitment, and you have to follow the directions,” 

The financial commitment for the families is a $50 buy-in, just one percent of the reduced fee of $5,000 that the partner orthodontists accept. The rest is covered by Future Smiles. And as generous as (county-wide grantmaking organization) Audacious Foundation has been – to the tune of about $1 million each year – the need is even greater, Rehse said.

“We have a wait list right now of 37 low-income kids that we can’t serve yet, and the funding from Audacious only covers kids who were born in the Tri-Counties and go to schools in Santa Barbara or Lompoc. We have children who were born in L.A. or Texas, or – yes, Mexico – and we can’t accept them for Future Smiles. And we want to offer the program to the rest of the county, too.”

The good news is that the program has already covered all its administrative expenses for the current academic year, Rehse said. So any funds raised during the current campaign will go straight toward orthodontic treatments, helping to straighten out lives through straightening kids’ teeth. 

“Through no fault of their own, they’re dealing with something that’s going to cause physical problems, and probably emotional problems for years,” she said. “Getting braces can literally change the trajectory of somebody’s life. By giving them this gift, you are actually providing a way for them to truly be more successful for the rest of their lives.”