Women's dental program expands
Stacey Borgardt smiles as Brenda Morcom styles her hair at Reecia's Salon in Whitefish on Wednesday afternoon. The complimentary makeover at Reecia's is part of the Smile of Hope program run by Soroptimist International of Whitefish. Nate Chute/Daily Inter Lake
A free dental care program for low-income women has expanded and is taking applications for a second round of dental work.
The Smile of Hope program, started by Soroptimist International of Whitefish, has added three more dentists to the roster - Drs. Dale Bax, Laura Raddatz and Robert Larson of Alpenglow Dental in Whitefish.
Qualifying women must meet the Soroptimists' criteria for financial assistance and must be the primary wage earners in their households.
Program coordinator Joanie Sorensen drew inspiration for the women's dental program from Soroptimist International's Women's Opportunity awards that help provide further schooling for head-of-household women who have faced economic and personal hardships.
The dental project began last fall with Dr. Pam Lilly and her daughter, Dr. Meagan Lilly-Frank, providing both inspiration and assistance for the inaugural phase of the program.
Stacey Borgardt, a single mother of two, was one of the first recipients of free dental care.
In her application, she told how she had struggled financially, letting her own dental health take a back seat while she paid for braces for her oldest son.
"I would never want either of them [her sons' to feel ugly or that they couldn't smile," she wrote. "I try to teach them to take care of their teeth or they'll end up like mine … I am embarrassed of my teeth. It's not easy to smile and be happy when you feel ugly and not confident."
Borgardt is smiling now, though, after the mother-daughter dental team repaired her teeth, including a decayed tooth next to her front teeth.
Another recipient, Sherry Williamson, also a single mother of two, had a similar story.
"My dental needs are something that I have had to put on the back burner," Williamson wrote in her application. "I always put my children first and so therefore my needs are last…"
Williamson said her missing front tooth caused people to stare and prevented her from smiling and laughing. Her children, ages 6 and 10, offered to forego Christmas and birthday presents so their mother could get her teeth fixed.
"Mom, you need to fix your teeth first," her 10-year-old son told her.
"Then my son followed by how horrible it looked," Williamson said about her missing tooth.
Another new dimension for participants in the Smile of Hope program is a complimentary "makeover" by Reecia's Salon in Whitefish.
Education continues to be an important element of the program. In addition to the dental work, the Soroptimists purchased Sonic Care electronic toothbrushes for some people.
The special toothbrushes promote healthy gums and decrease the rate of deterioriation of current problems.
Application forms for Smile of Hope can be picked up at Shepherd's Hand Clinic at Christ Lutheran Church, Lilly Family Dentistry, Alpenglow Dental, and the Soroptimist Thrift Haus, 303 First Street, all in Whitefish.
In addition to filling out the forms, applicants are required to explain in 250 words or less why they would be deserving recipients of free dental care. Applicants also must supply income information.
Completed application forms should be mailed to Whitefish Soroptimists, in care of Joanie Sorensen, 285 Glenwood Road, Whitefish, MT 59937. For more information call the Thrift Haus at 862- 3330, Sorensen at 862-3669 or Linda Dutton at 862-7328.
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com