Smiles for Life. Get new patients by doing good.
For Independent Dentists · 2026 Sign-Ups Open

Get new patients by doing good.

The Smiles for Life campaign helps you get new patients without paying for ads. Your patients pay for whitening. The money goes to kids' charities. You get people who trust you before they even walk in. 500+ dentists do this every year. It started in 1998.

Schedule My Kick-Off Call →
15-minute chat. Or see your numbers first (60 seconds). No pressure either way.
No ads to buy No agency to hire Quit anytime
$0
Cost per new patient
A dental team giving a charity check to a local kids' charity.
A dental team wearing campaign shirts and holding signs.
500+
Dentists in the program
28
Years running
$0
You pay for ads
$51M+
Raised for kids
The Main Idea

The best way to get new patients is not ads.

It's not Google. It's not Facebook. It's not a marketing agency that costs $10,000 a month.

It's being the dentist people trust. Nothing builds trust faster than helping kids in your own town. That's why Smiles for Life brings in more new patients than any ad ever will. And it's why big dental chains can't fake it.

This one idea changes everything about how you grow your practice.
The Numbers Nobody Talks About

What does one new patient actually cost?

Same person walking in your door. Very different price depending on how they got there.

Google AdsWhen people search for a dentist
$150 to $400
Facebook & Instagram AdsThey see an ad in their feed
$80 to $250
Postcards in the mailDirect mail to homes near you
$80 to $200
Groupon dealsThey saw a discount
$50 to $100
Smiles for LifeThey came for the cause
About $0
Every other way costs money. Smiles for Life doesn't. The whitening product is free (Ultradent donates it). Your chair is there anyway. Your team is there anyway. And by the time patients walk in, they already trust you.
Numbers based on averages from ADA marketing surveys, DentalIntel reports, and Google Ads benchmarks. Real costs depend on your town and how much competition you have.
How It Works

Four people. One simple flow. Here it is.

Here's how the campaign brings new patients into your practice over four months.

01
You offer whitening for a good cause
For four months, you offer professional whitening at a special charity price. New patients come to you because they want to help kids.
02
Ultradent gives you the supplies for free
All the Opalescence whitening supplies are 100% donated. You pay nothing. Your patients pay nothing for the supplies.
03
Your team gives their time
Your chair is already there. Your team is already there. You're not spending extra money. You're using what you already have.
04
The money goes to kids. You keep the new patients.
About 80% of the money goes to kids' charities. Half of that goes to a charity you pick in your town. You keep the new patients, the good name, and a team that loves what they do.
♥ This works because you already have what you need. Your team. Your chair. Your skills. You use them to help kids. You get new patients. Nobody pays extra.
Why Dentists Join

Three things you get. Same three wins for every practice.

Different sizes. Different towns. Same three good things happen.

A team member tracking Smiles for Life fundraising totals on an in-office board.
01 · The Big One

New patients. And you didn't pay for ads to get them.

Every whitening appointment is a new patient meeting you for the first time. They picked you because of what you stand for. That's a very different patient from someone who clicked a Google ad. They already trust you before they walk in.

30 to 70 New patients per practice, per campaign
A dentist giving a charity check from the Smiles for Life campaign.
02 · What Big Chains Can't Do

Trust that big chains can't fake.

Giving a big check to a local charity. Getting on the local news. Patients telling their friends. Big dental chains can't do any of this. It only works if you're really from the town. That's your edge.

A dental team wearing Smiles for Life campaign shirts and holding signs together.
03 · Your Team Stays

Your team loves it. And they stay.

When people work on something that matters, they stay. Practices in the program say their teams look forward to the campaign every year. And they don't quit.

See It In Real Life

See what it looks like when a real practice runs the campaign.

Real teams. Real checks. Real patients who came in because of the cause.

Real Practice Story
Montz & Maher Dental Group team presenting their charity check to Candlelighters.
Montz & Maher Dental Group. Houston, TX.

We joined the campaign to help kids. But four months later, we had more new patients than in any three months that year. And we didn't spend a dollar on ads.

Dr. David Montz. Practice owner and dentist in the program.
~52
New patients*
$0
Spent on ads
58%
Came back in year one*
$5,000
Check to a local charity
* Numbers reported by the practice. Real results depend on your practice.
Not All Patients Are The Same

The same new patient acts very different depending on why they came in.

A patient who came in for a good cause acts very different from one who came in for a discount. Here's the comparison.

How they found you Cost per patient Only care about price? Come back next year? Good for your name?
Google AdsThey searched for a dentist $150 to $400 Yes, a lot Sometimes No effect
Facebook AdsThey saw an ad in their feed $80 to $250 Yes, a lot Not often No effect
Groupon DealsThey wanted a cheap deal $50 to $100 Only that Almost never Bad
Word of MouthA friend told them about you $0 Not really Yes Good
Smiles for LifeThey came for the cause About $0 Not really Yes Very good
See the pattern? The cheaper the way, the worse the patient. Except one. Patients who came for the cause already like what you stand for. They stay. They tell their friends. And every one of them becomes a story your town hears about.
What Shows Up At Your Door

A complete kit. We design it, print it, and ship it to you.

You don't have to build anything. Every year we send you a fresh kit with everything you need. Signs. T-shirts. Patient handouts. Social media posts. And the free Ultradent whitening supplies.

  • Posters and signs for your office
  • Handouts to give your patients
  • T-shirts and swag for your team
  • Ready-made posts for your website and social media
  • Stickers that say "I donated" for your patients
  • A simple 16-week plan and patient scripts

The kit is made every year by My Social Practice. Modern, easy to use, ready to go.

The 2025 Smiles for Life campaign kit with signs, buttons, and t-shirts.
A dentist wearing a Smiles for Life campaign t-shirt.
Yellow Smiles for Life campaign signs and patient name tag.
Purple Smiles for Life anniversary t-shirt, hat, and buttons.
80% TO CHARITY
50% Local charity
30% Kids around the world
20% Running the program
Where The Money Goes

The charity part isn't the sell. It's the reason this works.

Here's the thing. This works because the money really does go to kids. Patients can feel the difference between fake charity and real charity. Smiles for Life is real.

Half of every dollar you raise goes to a charity you pick in your town. About 30% goes to kids around the world. This includes dentist trips to the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to help kids there. The last 20% pays for the kits, the shipping, and running the program. That's normal for good charities.

  • Make-A-Wish Foundation
  • Ronald McDonald House
  • Special Olympics
  • Boys & Girls Club
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Patriot Paws
  • Bags of Hope
  • 800+ others around the country
What Dentists Say

Three practices. Three wins. One campaign.

On new patients "
Smiles for Life brings new patients in the door every year. It's one of the most reliable things we do.
KH
Dr. Kris Heap Inspire Dental. Mesa, AZ.
On patients coming back "
Patients love the idea of whitening for a cause. Many of them become long-term patients because of it. That's the part that keeps paying us back for years.
KW
Dr. Karen Williamson Rockwell, TX.
On the team "
It's the most fun campaign we run all year. Our team looks forward to it every March.
CS
Dr. Chuck Skinner Louisville Dental Associates.
You Get Recognized

The best practices get honored in front of 1,000+ other dentists.

Every year, the top practices get recognized at the Crown Council Annual Event. You get honored in front of a room full of the best dentists in North America.

This isn't just a plaque. It's other top dentists saying you did good work. That kind of recognition sticks with your practice for years.

Photos: Service Leadership Award (Dominican Republic dental trip), $200,000 lifetime giving award, and the Smiles for Life recognition team.

A dentist getting recognized with a $200,000 lifetime Smiles for Life giving award.
Dr. Rob Heap getting the Service Leadership Award for leading a dental trip to the Dominican Republic.
A team wearing Smiles for Life jerseys at the Crown Council Annual Event.
2026 Sign-Ups

Kits ship Feb 15. When they run out, sign-ups close.

We only make so many kits every year. Once they're gone, sign-ups close until next year. The earlier you join, the more time you have to plan. And the more new patients you get.

Campaign runs March to June 2026
Kits ship Feb 15, 2026
Spots left Limited
Schedule My Kick-Off Call →
15-minute chat. Or see your numbers first. No pressure either way.
Questions Dentists Ask

Not sure? Good. Read this.

Here are the real questions dentists ask before they sign up. Read them. Then decide.

How much does it really cost me to get one new patient?+
Almost nothing. Your team is already there. Your chair is already there. Ultradent gives you the whitening supplies for free. Compare that to Google Ads ($150 to $400 per new patient). Or Facebook Ads ($80 to $250). Or Groupon (about $70, but those patients don't come back). Nothing else even comes close.
Are these patients different from Groupon patients?+
Very different. Groupon patients only care about the deal. They come once, use the coupon, and never come back. Charity patients came because they like what you stand for. They stick around. They tell their friends. They keep coming back for years.
Can big dental chains do this too?+
No. That's the whole point. Big chains are built for volume and paid ads. They can't be "the local dentist doing good in our town." This only works when it's real. It only works if you actually live and work in the town. If a big chain tries it, people can tell it's fake.
Is my practice too small?+
No such thing as too small. Dr. Karen Williamson has a small solo practice. She's been one of the top 25 fundraisers for years. The campaign works for any size. No minimum.
What does it cost me to join?+
Nothing. The kit is free. The whitening supplies are donated. All you give is your time in the chair for four months. Time you were already paying for anyway.
If patients don't pay me, how does the money work?+
Patients give the money right to the Smiles for Life Foundation (a real 501(c)(3) charity). They pay the same price you'd charge for whitening. They get a tax receipt. You get all the goodwill, all the new patients, and a big check to hand to a local charity at the end.
How much time does this take from my team?+
Not much. Sign-up: one 30-minute call. Setup: one hour to put up signs when the kit shows up. Every day: the same as booking any whitening appointment. We don't add work. We just swap out your normal whitening process for four months.
Is this part of Crown Council?+
Yes. Smiles for Life is the official charity of the Crown Council. Crown Council is a community of 1,000+ dental practices. It started in 1996. When you join Smiles for Life, you become part of that community. Joining the bigger Crown Council program is separate and up to you.
Your Move

Become the dentist your community talks about.

The numbers will make you try it once.
The kids will make you keep doing it.

Schedule My Kick-Off Call →
15-minute chat. Or see your numbers first. No pressure either way.
Backed by Crown Council. Supplies by Ultradent. Real 501(c)(3) charity. Tax ID 87-0575845.
See Your Numbers

How many new patients could you get?

Three quick questions. 60 seconds. Based on averages from 500+ practices in the program.

These are estimates. Real numbers depend on your town, your team, and your patients. About 80% of what you raise goes right to kids' charities.

Your Estimated 4-Month Impact
New Patients
0 to 0
New patients you could get from the campaign. You pay nothing to get them.
Money From New Patients (First Year)
$0 to $0
Assumes 20% to 35% of them come back for more care, at $800 to $1,200 each in year one.
Money For Kids' Charities (Bonus)
$0 to $0
About 80% goes to kids' charities. Half of that goes to a charity you pick in your town.

These are estimates based on 500+ practice averages. A quick call gives you a real plan for your practice.

Talk to our team about your numbers →