OUR MISSION
Little Lights Dentistry provides free dental care for uninsured, low-income children from their first birthday through high school graduation.
We believe that no child should go to bed with a toothache.
Do you?
Oral health is essential to one's overall health, with research linking dental disease to chronic illnesses, including juvenile diabetes, childhood asthma, heart disease, and obesity. Dental Disease or poor oral health is largely preventable by eating a healthy diet, maintaining an active lifestyle, brushing twice per day with fluoride toothpaste, flossing daily, seeing the dentist regularly beginning at the first birthday or when the child’s first tooth appears, and avoiding alcohol, drugs, smoking, and vaping.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry identifies dental decay as the #1 cause of preventable disease in children, with 1 in 4 experiencing tooth decay by age five. Decay compromises a child’s quality of life, affecting their eating, sleeping, speech, mental health, and school performance. The CDC states that “dental decay is not an equal opportunity disease; children living in poverty are twice as likely to suffer tooth decay, and their dental diseases are more than twice as likely to go untreated as their more affluent peers.”
The 2018 Children’s Dental Health Project reports children with poor oral health are three times more likely to miss school due to dental pain.
Untreated decay is higher for children from low-income families where they are less likely to receive preventative dental care, due to a lack of insurance or Medicaid.
Little Lights Dentistry seeks to reduce dental health disparity, improve dental health outcomes, and increase access to care by emphasizing consistent home care routines with regular dental appointments, brushing with fluoride toothpaste twice daily, flossing daily, and reinforcing nutrition habits that benefit all family members.
Little Lights is unique in that it is the only pediatric practice in Florida to provide free preventive, routine, and acute dentistry, including a dental home, cleanings, x-rays, fillings, sealants and fluoride, extractions, root canals, conscious sedation for pain relief, education on oral health home care routines, and nutritional guidance for the family, creating healthy habits for life. Uber Health or Ride United/Lyft provides transportation to ensure families with no other travel options have a safe and reliable way to bring their children to and from their dental appointments.
We’re in the paper!
Check out the picture below to read our cover story in the Luminaries which was part of the Treasure Coast Newspaper on January 6th of 2020.
Our Mission on the Radio!
Lori Sang, Executive Director of Little Lights Dentistry, sat down with WAY-FM 88.1 Community Impact Director David Wolfe to discuss Little Lights' mission and how YOU can raise awareness of this free dental program for uninsured, low-income children.
Click the audio link above to play or download the interview and learn more about its impact on children in the community.
You can make a difference for the families we serve!
Our Executive Director, Lori Sang, was also interviewed for United Way’s Live United segment on WLX-TV. Please enjoy hearing her speak about our organization, practice, events, and community involvement in the clip below.
Colleen Phillips, Community Relations Specialist for 211, explains the services and how it's become a credible resource for residents in St. Lucie County. Light of the World Charities Executive Director Lori Sang talks about how the organization provides dental services for children with dental problems.