Transforming Lives Through a Smile

By Michelle Stansbury | March 8, 2019

Cura Smiles, City Height’s First Free Dental Clinic, Opens to the Public

Cura Smiles, a free dental clinic in the City Heights, will open to the public next month in hopes of brightening up the community through sustainable dental care. In early 2017, the Cura Smiles team met with the staff at the Health Promotion Center (HPC) and learned of the need for dental care in the community. Their staff communicated that many of their patients are in need of dental care and don’t have the resources to access it. After two years of hard work and dedication, Cura Smiles has secured dental equipment and established the first free dental clinic in City Heights.

The Cura Smiles team is opening the clinic adjacent to the Health Promotion Center (HPC) at the Church of the Nazarene in Mid-City. For over 18 years, the Health Promotion Center has served City Heights by providing free health services to individuals and families who could not afford healthcare. Their staff shared that many of their patients are in need of dental care and do not have the resources to access it. Knowing how critical oral health is to overall health, Cura Smiles has stepped up to solve this problem and help create a healthier, happier community in City Heights.

The free dental clinic will serve the community on Saturday mornings from 8 am until noon. Cura Smiles will work with educational institutions and local dental professionals to provide the highest level of dental care and training. In partnership with Point Loma Nazarene University, Cura Smiles will provide training and service opportunities to the pre-health students. These future dental professionals will help run the clinic and experience first hand the joy of providing basic dental care to community members in need.

After traveling to Nicaragua for 10 years to provide dental care to underserved communities, founder of Cura Smiles, Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick, wanted to provide sustainable dental care to people in need locally as well as globally.

“We saw the need to expand essential dental services to the underserved community of City Heights and through support of donors, volunteers, and the community, are excited to be opening our doors to the public. We want to empower and transform lives through the simple goal of preserving one’s smile.”
– Founder of Cura Smiles, Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick

Cura Smiles is benefited by Cura Coffee, a fair trade coffee company. With each bag of coffee purchased, Cura is expanding sustainable dental care to underserved communities both locally and globally.

Cura Smiles is hosting a Grand Opening for the clinic on Saturday, March 16th from 10- 11 am at 4101 University Avenue San Diego, CA 92105. A ribbon cutting ceremony will precede tours of the new dental clinic.  RSVP for the Grand Opening by visiting: https://business.facebook.com/events/272791463613076/