La Jolla dental practice’s charity campaign smiles on nonprofits

A La Jolla dental office is again partnering with national nonprofits to support people in need globally and is more than halfway to its fundraising goal.

Weston Spencer DDS & Associates on Fay Avenue in The Village is participating in the annual campaign with the Smiles for Life Foundation, which works to increase access to dental services worldwide.

For the fifth year, Spencer’s office is offering discounted in-office teeth whitening with take-home whitening kits through June, with proceeds going to Smiles for Life.

The service is normally $695; Spencer is pricing it at $350 during the campaign, which began in March.

The dental practice raises an average of about $10,000 per year for the campaign, Spencer said.

This year, the office set a goal of $20,000 and so far has raised nearly $13,000, according to registered dental assistant Jenn Chambers.

Smiles for Life offers participating practices the opportunity to donate half of what they raise to another charity of their choice. Spencer’s office chose the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which helps children of special-ops personnel who died in the line of duty afford higher education.

Dentist Weston Spencer and staff members show a donation check from La Jolla Oral and Facial Surgery for the Spencer practice’s charity campaign.

(Weston Spencer DDS & Associates)

Smiles for Life will “use the money to help … provide dental work in underserved communities and provide children with dental care,” Chambers said.

The foundation is “kids-focused” and participates in fundraising for children’s hospitals and other projects, Spencer said.

The Special Operations Warrior Foundation benefits families in San Diego and beyond, Spencer said. “I picked them because I think they do a really good job of putting a lot of the money raised directly into the hands of the people who really need it,” he said. “They run lean, and they take care of the family.”

As part of the Smiles for Life campaign, several of Spencer’s staff members joined one of the organization’s trips to the Dominican Republic in March.

“We were able to provide hands-on dental care to the underserved communities of Samana,” Chambers said. “It was really amazing.”

Spencer, who has been practicing dentistry in La Jolla since 2012, said he got involved with Smiles for Life through his relationship with Crown Council, a networking and continuing-education organization that helps dentists who “are dedicated to building good teams, good culture … and doing good dentistry.”

Smiles for Life, the philanthropic arm of Crown Council, helps dentists be “a force for good in your community,” Spencer said, including providing resources to simplify fundraising.

“Part of that mindset is … we need to do good for others,” Spencer said. “For us, the energy is attracting people, making people aware of doing things like this.”

Participating patients benefit from the discounted teeth whitening and are able to help others while doing it, he added.

For more information, call (858) 459-0077 or email office@westonspencerdds.com. ◆