Smiles for Survivors Foundation Announces Local Dentists for its Dental Rehabilitation Program

April 23, 2012 - PRLog -- LAS VEGAS — Smiles for Survivors Foundation™, a non-profit organization that focuses its efforts on providing preventative and restorative dental care to local breast cancer patients suffering from devastating and painful oral conditions, announces that three local dentists have committed to providing pro-bono services for its dental rehabilitation program. The dentists are: Cynthia Allen, D.D.S., Mark Degen, D.D.S., M.D. and James Rogers, D.D.S., M.S.

The trio are the first dentists to commit to providing services for the non-profit’s program; services offered include one-time emergency care and pain management services as well as the procedures included in the treatment plan of patients who qualify for the foundation’s more extensive rehabilitation program.  

“We are pleased to have the support of these esteemed dentists,” says Dr. Olya Banchik, the Summerlin-based dentist who founded the non-profit. She notes that Dr. Degen provided services for the foundation’s first case in 2011, Raven Burroughs, a 34-year-old breast cancer survivor from Las Vegas. “Their support enables Smiles to offer emergency care and treatment so that more breast cancer patients and survivors who are in need can receive the help.”

Dr. Allen specializes in general dentistry at Summerhills Dental, which she founded after receiving her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1989. She is a member of the American Dental Society.

Dr. Degen is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon with extensive training in dentoalveolar, dental implant, facial cosmetic and maxillofacial trauma surgery. After receiving his doctorate in dental surgery from New York University College of Dentistry in 1997, he went on to complete a medical doctorate at Louisiana State University where he also completed a year of general surgery and his residency training in oral and maxillofacial surgery. He is currently the sole surgeon and owner at Red Rock Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Centre, which he joined in 2003.

Dr. Rogers, founder of Canyon Ridge Periodontics, has 18 years of experience and advanced training in all facets of periodontal care and dental implants. He is one of only a few periodontists in Las Vegas performing the revolutionary All-on-4™ implant technique which provides instant permanent oral aesthetics and immediate full restoration of bite functionality. He received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Northwestern Dental School in Chicago where he also completed his residency and graduated with a Certificate in Periodontology in 1991.  

Roughly 40 percent of all cancer patients suffer from oral side effects during or after cancer treatment. These may include oral inflammation, salivary gland dysfunction, and functional disabilities. Oral complications may also increase a patient’s risk of life threatening infection and could lead to a slowing down or discontinuation of cancer treatments. Since 2011, Smiles for Survivors has provided a range of dental services to prevent complications and restore oral health to breast cancer patients already affected.

Local dentists and dental specialists interested in providing services are encouraged to contact the Smiles for Survivors Foundation for more information at 702-341-9597.

About Smiles for Survivors™
Smiles for Survivors™ is a registered 501(c)3 foundation, that provides preventative and restorative dental care to breast cancer patients in Nevada suffering from devastating and painful oral conditions that result from chemotherapy and radiation.  Through the organization’s dental rehabilitation program dentists and dental specialists provide care to qualified candidates. The non-profit also educates all cancer patients about potential oral side effects of cancer treatments and the importance of proper nutrition oral health before, during, and after treatment. The Smiles for Survivors Foundation was established in 2011 by Dr. Olya Banchik, a Las Vegas based dentist whose own life was personally touched by breast cancer. More information on Smiles for Survivors Foundation can be found at www.smilesforsurvivors.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.