September 13, 2022

Pacific Dental Services® (PDS) has been behind tens of thousands of healthy smiles since they began business in 1994. Today, some of the biggest smiles can be found at KidWorks, where the company and its team members have generously partnered with us since 2015.

It is with this gratitude and deep appreciation that we honor PDS as our September 2022 “Volunteer of the Month.”

“The partnership with KidWorks has brought joy to so many of our team member’s lives,”
 says Vivian Loi, a marketing specialist at PDS.

She adds, “Whether it’s connecting our team members with an opportunity to serve for the first time or inviting our families to volunteer alongside us, the act of service truly changes our hearts.”

“Without partners such as KidWorks we would not have the opportunity to see this change happen. It’s been rewarding to see that we are able to help KidWorks start off the new school year the right way by helping assemble school supplies for the children.”

PDS is one of the country’s leading dental support organizations, with a unique business model that enables dentists to own their dental practice and empowers them to focus almost exclusively on patient care while PDS remains focused on the business aspects of the practice. The company currently supports over 875 dental offices located across the United States and is continually expanding within its existing markets. It has been on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in America 14 times.

In 2011, the September “Volunteer of the Month” originated “Smile Generation Serve Day,” an annual day of service and nationwide campaign of giving that focuses on providing donated dentistry to underserved patients. 

“During this year’s event, held Aug. 20, more than 700 PDS-supported dental practices located across the country provided donated dental care to over 2,500 patients, including some life changing procedures such as CEREC® CAD/CAM same-day dental restorations, fillings, implants, root canals, oral surgery and much-needed dental cleanings,” Vivian says.

Forty local PDS team members made Smile Generation Serve Day special for our students and families. Those serving KidWorks ranged across multiple departments at PDS, including marketing, communications, finance, recruiting, data analytics, information technology, and executive leadership.

Says Chris Adams, one of the PDS team members who helped that day, “What I love about Smile Generation Serve Day is getting the chance to help others alongside my PDS teammates. Serving others together is both an awesome way to bond as a team and a cool opportunity to bring encouragement and help to those in need.”

“It was fun sharing with the PDS team about our students and how the back-to-school kits would provide such a positive impact,” says Ryann Smith, KidWorks’ Marketing & Communications Associate.

She adds, “PDS has such a vibrant culture; they are so committed to giving back to communities like ours.” 

The back-to-school kits assembled by PDS team members included such essentials as pencils, pens, highlighters, erasers, Kleenex, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. Our students were especially delighted by the bookmarks designed, colored and laminated by the group.

A commitment to helping others is deeply rooted in PDS culture.

“Smile Generation Serve Day has become a substantial part of our organization,” says Stephen E. Thorne IV, Founder and CEO of Pacific Dental Services.

“The act of service changes our hearts and minds about what matters most in life,” he says.
“This annual event gives us the opportunity to selflessly engage with the communities we serve and help them improve their health.

“This year’s success is evident through thousands of lives that have been positively impacted by the hearts of our team members and their gift of over 55,000 hours of service.”

In addition to supporting KidWorks during Smile Generation Serve Day, hundreds of PDS team members and families across the U.S. joined community service projects such as park and beach clean-ups, blood drives, creating cards of encouragement for children undergoing cancer treatment, and serving in local food banks.

More about the company and its Smile Generation Serve Day is at these links:

PDS’ desire to help the underserved and those in need also occurs beyond Smile Generation Serve Day.

“PDS is a service organization at heart,” says Carli Kingsley, Senior Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility at PDS.

“We created a platform called the 3Ds: Dentistry, Donate, Do Something which drives our corporate social responsibility efforts and guides our work to creating a healthier, happier world,” Carli says.

She adds, “We provide several opportunities for clinicians to provide donated dentistry and empower them to offer pro-bono services to patients in need. We connect our patients to a variety of causes through in-office drives and conduct point-of-purchase drives which support local non-profits.”

Carli explains that donations are often encouraged by offering $100 off dental treatment in exchange for the donation.

“Team members take it one step further by volunteering their time to do something and serve these local organizations,” Carli says. “When all 3Ds are implemented, it builds trust for our brand and helps offices be the provider of choice in the market they serve.”

Vivian says PDS looks forward to continuing its support of KidWorks in many ways.

“We are continuing to partner with KidWorks by providing multiple opportunities for our team members to serve and for them to provide items through donation drives,” Vivian says.

This heartfelt dedication to others is sure to make everyone smile!

By Glenn Leibowitz, volunteer writer