Dental clinic puts their money where their mouth is to help others

Beacon Hill Dental Centre wants to see the entire community have healthy smiles.

For every post-checkup “goody bag” they provide to clients, the clinic donates $1 to help community organizations.

Bianca Elia, Beacon Hill’s hygiene coordinator and business administrator, said they created Dollar Mouth Club (DMC) to donate $1 of oral care products for every bag – in the case of the Burlington centre at 2501 Guelph Line, Unit 4 (the Brick Oven Plaza), every brown envelope -- to people in need.

Elia said they also hope to motivate other health-care professionals to get involved in helping the three communities they serve: Burlington, Hamilton and Grimsby. 

Each Beacon Hill goody bag includes a toothbrush, floss, whitening or dental care toothpaste, and a $50 gift card for Beacon Hill Dental aimed at those who may not have access to dental care.

“We’re excited to partner with Shifra Homes Inc. in Burlington, Good Shepherd in Hamilton, and GBF Community Services in Grimsby to deliver our donations to their members,” she said. “This is something we’ve talked about for a few months now, and we hope it will also help to bring in a few new patients too.”

But for Beacon Hill, which is owned by Dr. Yazan Hamamy and has four additional dentists on staff, it’s not about that. The clinic strives to be a leader in patient experience, clinical outcomes and preventative measures for healthy smiles.

“We hope it inspires other health-care professionals to do the same within their communities,” she said, adding that a lot of patients have shied away from returning to the dental office since the pandemic.

“We haven’t seen a lot of the patients coming in, and in some cases, there has been a big change in their oral health,” she said. “It’s so important to take oral health seriously.”

She said the health benefits of regular dental checkups are as important as healthy gums, as dentists and hygienists can sometimes find underlying health issues through regular cleanings and X-rays.

“When I was younger, I never went, I brushed my teeth,” she said. “Now that I work here, I really see the health benefits. Growing up, Dr. Hamamy encountered many oral health issues that his family suffered from and he has vowed to become a reputable dentist and promote awareness on the importance oral health has on your overall health.”

“We are all excited about this program and we want the community to be excited too.”