The Dignity Smiles Program Continues to Help Homeless Members of The Source

By Beverly Paris

Several years ago, Dr. Thomas J. Balshi, a Vero Beach resident, and a Board Certified Prosthodontist (now retired) and Founder of The Institute for Facial Esthetics in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, teamed with Anthony Zorbaugh, Executive Director of The Source to create a dental restoration program for selected Source members. Due to their lifestyle, many of the members have dental issues that affect their appearance and ultimately can deter them from getting a job.

Recognizing the need, together, they created Dignity Smiles, a dental restoration program designed for registered members of The Source. Those members who are fully trained by and graduated from The Source Culinary Program, prove they are prepared to work as a respectable and dignified individual, and are eligible to enter the dental restoration program.

The program allows for dental services for one client per quarter, all of which is covered through the Dignity Smiles program. To that end, with Dr. Balshi’s dental restoration knowledge, and his connection to other dental professionals in and around Indian River County, a single Dignity Smiles dental partnership has now expanded to eight dentists located in the Vero Beach area and north to include Melbourne. Dr. Balshi works closely with each Dentist and his son, Stephen Balshi, President of CM Prosthetics, and a member of the American College of Prosthodontists, contributes his dental prosthetics to those Source members in need of his services.

Recently, Dr. Denise M. Pieczynski, DMD, PA, and Matthew M. Rolfes, DMD of Altitude Dental in Vero Beach, two professionals associated with Dignity Smiles, performed full dental extractions for Jason, one of the deserved Source members. Dr. Pieczynski works in tandem with Dr. Rolfes, along with their highly qualified staff in carefully designing a plan for Jason’s dental procedures.

Jason has been a member of The Source for a year and decided to make a change and get back to the life he once had sober, employed, housed and not just surviving, but thriving. Jason is a graduate of the Dignity with Dining Program and is still undergoing services at Altitude Dental.