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children are two and a half times less likely than insured children to receive dental care. When these neglected mouths finally demand attention it is often through emer- gency room treatment, costing tax- payers millions of dollars each year for a disease that is largely prevent- able. Information released by the Coali- tion on Oral Health Care estimates that for every $1 spent on oral health preventive measures, as much as $50 is saved in emergency and restorative treatment expenditures. Overall higher health-care costs and insurance premiums, lower pro- ductivity levels of the workforce and even costs related to an elevated crime rate are a price we all pay when children with dental pain go untreated. It’s easy to see the need for a certain kind of magic to fight pedi- atric dental disease. Fortunately, the toothfairy has evolved into America’s toothfairy and she is coming to the rescue. America’s toothfairy: delivering hope The National Children’s Oral Health Foundation is America’s toothfairy, a non-profit organization solely focused on eliminating America’s most common chronic childhood ill- ness — pediatric dental disease — through comprehensive treatment and preventive and educational ini- tiatives. America’s toothfairy (www. americastoothfairy.org) serves as a national resource for health-care professionals and individuals alike, whether they are currently working to combat this devastating and pre- ventable disease or looking to join the fight. The organization raises public awareness of pediatric dental dis- ease and the lifelong health com- plications associated with it, while supporting an affiliate network of non-profit oral health programs pro- viding comprehensive care to under- served children across America. In less than four years, America’s toothfairy has delivered more than $6 million in valuable product con- tributions and direct funding to affil- iate partners, touching the lives of more than 1 million children nation- wide! Because generous corporate underwriters cover all operational expenses, every additional dollar contributed to America’s toothfairy is allocated to programs giving chil- dren a healthier future. The toothfairy has long been a symbol of the magic of childhood, a mystical figure only materializing as a child lay peacefully asleep, dream- ing of the gifts to be found under his or her pillow the next morning. Over 4 million children in Amer- ica are suffering right now from oral pain so severe it keeps them up at night. For those children, and for anyone concerned with the healthy growth and development of our nation’s most valuable resource, National Children’s Oral Health Foundation has created America’s toothfairy. She is a symbol of change: an educator, preventer, protector and, perhaps most importantly, a source of hope for children everywhere. Is America’s toothfairy real? She is as real as we make her. For more information or to make a contribution, call (704) 350-1600 or visit www.americastoothfairy. org. DT Giving Back DENTAL TRIBUNE | March 201022A AD f DT page 20A