Bringing Healthy Smiles to Those in Need

Your smile is of vital importance to your overall mental and physical health and wellbeing. It is often the first greeting you give to a friend or stranger on the street; the structure that holds the shape of your face; the first line of defense against harmful bacteria entering the body; and an outlet for expressing our emotions..

Should you lose your smile due to tooth decay, gum disease, cavities, and an overall lack of good dental hygiene, you may experience a lack of self-esteem, low confidence, an inability to chew and process food correctly, and an increased risk of chronic health conditions.

In fact, a growing body of evidence has linked oral health, particularly periodontal (gum) disease, to several chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. In pregnant women, poor oral health has also been associated with premature births and low birth weight, yet millions of people across America do not have access to regular dental care.

This is especially true for underserved populations such as seniors, veterans, children, the homeless, the disadvantaged, and communities of color due to a lack of transportation, as often no dental clinic is within their neighborhood or community. This lack of transportation leaves numerous people unable to seek dental treatment in a traditional setting, and therefore, we are bringing dental care to the doorsteps of those we serve…and YOU can help!

Access to dental care is crucial for oral health and overall wellbeing. Our licensed dentists and dental assistants provide cleanings and dental care to children, teens, adults, and seniors who would otherwise have difficulty accessing these services.

Destiny Empowerment Center Inc., a community development corporation, is devoted to supporting communities through specialized support that promotes dental care, education & development, mental health, substance misuse prevention - counseling & referral services, and it is our mission to bring quality dental care to those who would otherwise not have access in communities in and around Randolph, MA and the greater Boston area.

We are dedicated to lowering the barrier of entry for everyone to receive thorough, high-quality, and consistent dental services with a strong focus on providing communities of color, elderly populations, Native Americans, migrant and seasonal workers, children, and homeless individuals access to health services no matter their economic status. This includes providing mobile dental services to underserved communities and to do so, the purchase of a mobile dental van and supplies is needed.

The Need for Mobile Dental Care

Regular preventive dental care is essential to maintain and protect oral health so that problems can be detected earlier when they are easier to treat. However, numerous underserved communities and low-income families and seniors cannot afford to pay out of pocket for dental care, do not have private or public dental insurance, or can’t get time off from work to get dental care. Many also live in communities where they do not have access to fluoridated water and school sealant programs, healthy foods, and public transportation to get to dental appointments leaving a large portion of Americans at risk of tooth decay, diseases of the mouth, bacteria buildup i.e., plaque, tooth loss and a lower quality of life.

DID YOU KNOW THAT MASSACHUSETTS ONLY HAS 78 DENTISTS PER 100,000 POPULATION? - LEARN MORE!

According to Care Quest Institute For Oral Health:

Also, according to the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission Issue 20; on Oral Access and Equity in the Commonwealth;

This is Where Your Donation Becomes Important

Destiny Empowerment Center does not turn MassHealth patients away. We are credentialed by MassHealth and Dataquest as approved MassHealth, Boston Medical Healthnet, Senior Whole Health, Tufts 65+ and much much more Dental Providers. We DO NOT TURN MASSHEALTH PATIENTS AWAY.

THE GOOD NEWS:

The good news is that your invaluable donation to purchase a mobile dental van will bring about promising solutions to accelerate dental health care transformation and oral care access to our vulnerable, underserved population.

Destiny Empowerment Center Inc. envisions a world where all communities, particularly those that have historically faced and are currently experiencing difficulty accessing dental care, hunger, discrimination, and marginalization, will be able to generate positive outcomes for themselves through equal access to dental care, nutritious food, education, healthcare and economic development opportunities.

Our mobile dental van will provide an essential service to those in need which in turn aims to benefit their mental and physical wellbeing allowing for a brighter future for all. Through inspiration and leadership, Destiny Empowerment Center Inc. is dedicated to bringing everyone affordable access to dental care no matter their current situation or location.

How You Can Help

Destiny Empowerment Center Inc., a registered and approved public charity (501c3 and 509a2), by IRS, understands that it can be sometimes difficult due to multiple barriers (including lack of transportation) that prevent manageable and comprehensive dental access for seniors, veterans, disadvantaged, underserved populations, and communities of color to seek dental treatment in a traditional setting, and therefore we bring dental care to the doorsteps of those we serve.

Currently, as you can see in the photo above, we use portable dental chairs and portable dental units for our Dental Access Outreach Program, which limits us from seeing a wide variety of patients. However, a mobile dental van is fully equipped with sturdy dental chairs used in the traditional dental office. This will enable us to serve more diverse patients of all ages and sizes and allow us to provide more extensive dental treatment.

To continue our mission and reach more people in need, we are raising $350,000 to purchase a fully equipped mobile dental van, including dental supplies to provide regular and consistent cleanings and exams to underserved communities and uninsured populations. People with more urgent or operative needs can also receive x-rays, fillings, extractions, and dental sealants to protect the health of their mouth and overall wellbeing.

Below is what a fully equipped Mobile Dental Van looks like, with study chairs and equipments that will give comprehensive and manageable dental services such as dental cleaning, extractions, root canals, crowns, dentures and much more.

Through collaboration with licensed dentists and other dental professionals, Destiny Empowerment Center Inc. provides quality mobile dental services to those in need. Your generous support is vital to the success of our Dental Access Outreach Program.

We also provide opportunities for valuable on-the-job training and in-demand skills in dental assisting and front office dental administrative skills so that our youth in underserved communities and communities of color can build upon their future.

Youth and Children in underserved communities and communities of color received free scooters and AMC movie tickets through generous donors like yourself to have joyful summer and lasting memories.

“You Can Have Everything in Life You Want, If You Will Just Help Enough Other People Get What They Want.” - Zig Ziglar

Become an Angel for our Oral Care Access Outreach Program Today

We are looking for people like you that will donate to give quality dental care to the military and their families, the seniors, the homeless, the poor, and our vulnerable communities. Your donation helps to purchase a mobile dental bus to remove transportation barriers and provide much needed dental supplies and dental work.

Your can give any amount as small or large as you like. Your gift of $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 or more provides not only the purchase of a fully equipped mobile dental van, but you will also be helping to provide quality dental work that includes comprehensive dental exam, dental cleaning, x-rays, dental fillings, and teeth extraction for the uninsured and the disadvantaged.

By replacing one coffee run per week, you can make a huge impact. When you multiply each of all these gifts and add up the donations from all angels like you, they are truly impacting our work and giving much needed access through our oral care access outreach program.

Your gifts are greatly appreciated. As a public charity, your gifts to Destiny Empowerment Center, are 100% tax deductible and go directly towards our goal of purchasing a fully equipped mobile dental van, dental supplies and provision of quality dental work to give expanded oral care access to our underserved and disadvantaged communities.

If possible, you may also consider becoming a monthly donor for our Angel for Oral Care Access Outreach Program.

This will ensure that no matter what the future brings, we will be here for our seniors, our veterans, the homeless, the poor, the youth, the children, and the adults in underserved communities and communities of color, giving them access to the oral health they need and deserve.

BECOME AN ANGEL FOR OUR VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES TODAY.