Dr. Jay Grossman

Pro-Bono Dentistry: Providing homeless people with dental care

In the waiting room of Jay Grossman's dental clinic in fashionable Brentwood, California, upscale clients unknowingly rub elbows with a group of people they normally see only from their cars - the homeless and underserved.

Dr. Grossman's idealistic urge to help people first led him into dentistry. Then, out of his participation in Landmark Education and the SELP program, he was inspired to found "Homeless Not Toothless,"(www.homelessnottoothless.org) an innovative volunteer network of dentists willing to donate their services to homeless people.

"I wanted to do something more proactive than just giving money." Grossman says. "I felt if we could provide the homeless and underserved with quality dental care, maybe it would raise their pride and dignity and help them gain employment."

People hear a lot about pro-bono legal work and free medical care for the poor, but the necessity for free dental care is often overlooked. Grossman says that's a mistake. "Dental pain saps energy, concentration, and drive,” he notes. “Unsightly or missing teeth turn off potential employers - this can perpetuate the vicious cycle of homelessness.”

Grossman has ambitious plans for the program's expansion. Already several dozen Los Angeles-area dentists have agreed to be a part of the program and donate their services, and there is construction of a 3 - chair Dental office in Brentwood under-construction presently. Grossman envisions a rapid expansion of "Homeless Not Toothless" across the nation. "If every dentist would give just one hour a month, the homeless would have no more dental needs," he says.