Smile!

A smile. There is truly nothing more beautiful on earth than a smiling face. Think about the big moments that create smiles - wedding days, births of children, celebrations of birthdays and special events. Then there are the small moments - the smile of a child jumping into a pool on a hot summer day, a teenage boy scoring his first touchdown or hitting a homerun, the flirty smile of a girl to her first crush, the knowing smile between a husband and wife, the smile of a grandmother to her little granddaughter as they bake cookies, or that of a grandfather to his grandson as they go fishing. Moments in life all covered with smiles.

A smile says a lot about you. First impressions are often made because of a smile. Happiness, joy, confidence, and more are exuded through a smile. What if you didn’t like your smile? What if you wanted to give a big, toothy grin but were too self-conscious about your teeth to do so?

Project Smiles had the amazing opportunity to restore the smiles of two women, Angie & Jenn, this past Friday. Both of these women were self-conscious of their smiles, due to some fractured and missing teeth. And now they both have brand new smiles! The experience of seeing their entire faces light up when they saw their new teeth was amazing. Restoring their smiles wasn’t just about their teeth. It was about restoring their self-confidence and giving them a beautiful smile to light up their lives and the lives of those around them.

On top of blessing Angie & Jenn with new smiles, we were able to share the experience with dental students from UT Memphis…the same students who were here in March. They will be back in May to work with Dr. Kemp, Dr. Tabor, and Dr. Wayman as they finalize the smile makeovers. The dental students received hands-on experience in the technical process of performing a smile restoration as well as witnessing the emotional impact such a procedure has.
As you walk through your week, smile! Smile at the people you see everyday – your husband or wife, your children, your roommates, your co-workers, the baristas at Starbucks. Smile at the checker at the grocery store, the girl who does your nails, the man who washes your car. Smile, knowing there is nothing more beautiful than a smiling face. Smile, knowing you can brighten their day. Just smile.

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. ~Joseph Addison

We spent the afternoon seeing patients from The Hope Center and Mercy Ministries. It's such a blessing to partner with these wonderful ministries and provide a very tangible, useful service to these women.

First Project Smiles Day Of 2009

What a wonderful day! Friday was our very first Project Smiles Day of the year. We had Dr. Phillip Kemp, Dr. Josh Wayman, Dr. Jayson Tabor, 11 UT dental students, and a Meharry dental student in for the day. We spent much of the morning familiarizing everyone with the Kemp Dental office and preparing to see patients.

By mid-morning, a few patients from Mercy Ministries and the Hope Center for Women were arriving. We are so thrilled to have such a wonderful partnership with both of these ministries! The opportunity to be a blessing to these women who are working so hard to turn their lives around is truly amazing. (Please check out their websites to learn more about what they do!) From the women who came in the morning, two were selected to have smile makeovers. We look forward to seeing them on our next Project Smiles Day and giving them a new smile! Be sure to check back then for their stories.

The afternoon was spent taking care of several other women from Mercy & the Hope Center. What a sight it was to see nearly every operatory at the Kemp Dental office filled with patients and dentists! Several of the women had toothaches and such that had been bothering them for months, and we were able to help. To some, it may seem small, but a few fillings, crowns, and/or extractions can make a huge difference in someone’s life. As one of the ladies was leaving, she said to me, “I just might cry. I feel so much better. I think I can eat now and not hurt when I chew.” Imagine hurting every time you chew, and then for that pain to be taken away. Wow!

Why we do what we do...

This is a note from a Project Smiles patient last year. This is why we do what we do.

I just wanted to take just a moment and personally thank you for giving me my new smile. I want to make sure that you understand just how much it has meant to me. When I was a young child, I was always made fun of by others because of all the spaces in between my teeth. At one point during middle school, I was taken to the orthodontist after a dentist recommended that I get braces. My mother is disabled and supported us as best as she could, but we were on state welfare. I was assessed for braces, and they told me that I would have to get two false teeth because I was missing teeth. They also told me that you would always know that they weren't real because of the coloring. Then they told us a figure that they wanted as a down payment, as well as the total price for the work done. I walked into that office with the hope that I could possibly smile and talk without being made fun of. But wen I walked out of that office, I knew that it wouldn't be possible for my family to afford that much money. So I adapted to the comments that people made and figured that one day, it would eventually subside. I grew up feeling very self-conscious about my teeth and never smiled. I hated taking pictures with anyone, family or not. Even you were able to experience some of this. Then when I came into your office and was given a blessing that I didn't feel I deserved, it was an opportunity that I couldn't pass. I was not only given braces, I was given confidence in my smile and myself. But I didn't receive just a new smile...before I walked into your office, I was very afraid of men. Dr. Kemp, the way you spoke to me and the things you did for me made such a difference in my opinion. I began the process of learning that man is good and there are good, caring, loving people in the world. Each time I came into your office, I received a little healing of the hurt that had taken 20 plus years to gain. All of you treated me as if I was worthy of care, love, and respect. You spoke to me with such kindness and compassion that a lot of times I left your office overwhelmed with why God was allowing me to have such a thing. You did all of this and didn't ask of anything in return, which was very different than what I had learned. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me. I am happier now. I smile with confidence. I have self-confidence, and I know that there are caring people in this world that love me and don't even know anything about me. The process I have gone through since the work was done on my teeth has been a long one, but every day was well worth it. I've struggled with an eating disorder for 10 years as well as a very negative self-image. I've never liked anything about my body because of all the negative things I'd been told and that I'd seen when I looked at myself. Looking at myself now, I see the smile that was the start of my turnaround. The day I came back to the home after getting the temporaries in, I ran upstairs and told my counselor, "There is something about my body I can actually like now. I think that this is the start of my seeing myself like God wants me to see." I am able to look at myself and say "I have a beautiful smile." This whole process has enabled me to see myself through God's eyes and not my own or the world's. Thank you for all you've contributed to my complete transformation and freedom. My hope has been restored, as well as my joy. Thank you for being God's tools to show me what he'd been attempting to show me for years upon years, and yet, I had been so blinded. There are no words that can express how thankful I am to you all.

Project Smiles

Project Smiles is a non-profit dental organization started by Dr. Phillip Kemp in 2006. The mission of Project Smiles is two-fold. We provide dentistry to the poor and under-served of Nashville, particularly for victims of domestic abuse and/or life-controlling issues, while training and developing young dentists and dental professionals.

Project Smiles is not just about teeth. Our heart is for both dentists and patients to be impacted in such a way that not only are smiles changed, but hearts are as well. We want our patients to know that they are the most important person to us while they are in our chair, that we care for them as a person, not just their teeth.

For our young dentists, Project Smiles gives the opportunity to be mentored by a group of dentists who have been practicing for years. We strive to instill in our dentists that there is more to dentistry than teeth, there is a bigger picture to be seen and experienced through the practice of dentistry. We have the opportunity to change lives, and what we, as dentists, do with that opportunity is essential to who we are.