Elder dental care gets boost from local nonprofit

A smile a day may help keep the doctor away, but keeping a smile in top shape requires care. For many older adults, oral health issues can make smiling – and even eating and communicating – a challenge.

Healthy Smiles Forever, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing more smiles, was launched in 2016 at a long-term care facility in Anchorage. By 2021, the organization was also serving Mat-Su residents, first at the Maple Springs long-term care facilities in Palmer and Wasilla, then at the Veterans and Pioneers Home in Palmer.

Royann Royer, Healthy Smiles Forever’s founder and director, said the organization is the only nonprofit providing comprehensive dental service to Alaskans in long-term care facilities. Because services are provided on-site, the burden of transporting patients and, in some cases, moving them from wheelchairs to dental chairs, is eliminated.

“The Valley facilities have been wonderful partners in assisting us to institute this program,” Royer said. “They realize the importance of these services and are willing to help us as we grow.”

The program has been a boon to everyone involved.

“These services benefit residents’ oral health through dental treatment, preventive services and education to improve their lives in their daily activities,” Royer said. “Family members do not need to miss work to take their loved ones to appointments, or cause stress to residents having to travel outside the facility.”

The nonprofit’s efforts and ability to expand services to meet demand has been assisted with funding from the Mat-Su Health Foundation. A recent $300,000 grant will help offset the expense of dental treatment, preventive services, and educational outreach. It comes on the heels of a $250,000 grant in 2024.

The nonprofit Mat-Su Health Foundation has been seeding nonprofit success stories since 2008, when its grant program began. As part owner of the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, the Health Foundation is able to channel a share of its profits into the community through scholarships, sponsorships, and grants to nonprofits around the Valley, like Healthy Smiles Forever.

With more than $140 million invested in the Mat-Su in the last 17 years, the foundation remains a formidable partner in community health and wellness, while doing its part to ensure that the hospital continues to meet the needs of the Valley’s growing population.

Royer said the support of the Mat-Su Health Foundation has been critical to the success of Healthy Smiles Forever.

“This program would be impossible without the Health Foundation grant,” she said. “The funding helps us pay for providers, equipment and supplies needed to provide treatment for the residents. Even though we bill Medicaid and other insurance, those payments are minimal and not sufficient to cover costs at this time.”

With 75-85 residents in each of the Mat-Su facilities served by Health Smiles Forever, plus the two Anchorage sites, demand is always on the rise. Healthy Smiles has had more than 800 appointments this year. Plans are also in the works to do screenings on all new future residents and offer treatment for the duration of their stay.

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https://healthysmilesforever.org