Page 15 - DFCS NEWS MAGAZINE 2020-1

Veterans Smile Forward Program
DFCS Donates to Help Veterans in Need By Ted Herman
Herbert P. Silva, DMD, Marine Corps Veteran and Comprehensive Care Unit Director at A.T. Still University – Missouri of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-MOSDOH) accepts the DFC donation from DFCS member Ted Herman (Lt. Col. USMC Ret.)
for or outright gifts of supplies and equipment. Those sources have proved to be critical in not only meeting the needs of the practical training, but even more so in expanding the program’s reach of patients. A full mouth extraction and full dentures costs approximately $5000. The Veterans Smile Forward program is able to do the job for $500, at no cost to the veteran.
“We give them back their dignity and we give them back their smile, so they’re not afraid to go out in public anymore. They’ve just got their confidence back,” Dr. Silva said.
The DFCS took advantage of a “member needs fund” that was donated many years ago for undefined use. To date there had never been a request for the fund, nor had any process ever been set up to vet a request. Thus it was suggested that the funds be donated to a veteran’s organization or a charity that supports veterans. These men and women do not have the resources to pay and, although not members of the DFCS, they are deserving veterans. The DFC Society’s donation to this program fulfills the intent of the donor who wanted to provide financial relief to veterans.
On 10 March 2020, the DFC Society presented a check for $8,896 to the Missouri school of Dentistry and Oral Health Veterans Smile Forward Program.
The DFCS first learned of the MOSDOH Veteran Smile Forward Program through member Pat Owen, a former squadron mate of Dr. Silva’s.
When Dr. Silva left the Marine Corps in the early 70’s after a combat tour in Cobras, he returned to St. Louis and established a successful private dental practice for more than forty years. He was active in the Marine Corps League and participated in myriad charities in the St. Louis area such as Operation Stand Down, Give Kids A Smile, and Focus Marines Foundation. He retired from his practice in 2015.
As a result of his expertise in business management and dental staff training, he was invited to head the Comprehensive Care Unit and teach at the A.T. Still University – Missouri of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU- MOSDOH) where he helped to initiate the MOSDOH Veterans Smile Forward program to provide dentures and partials to veterans in need, while using volunteer staff to mentor students who help perform the procedures.
The ATSU-MOSDOH depends on small grants available for the students’ practical training but those grants are barely adequate to meet the needs. Having extensive experience in running a private practice, unique in today’s world of corporate health care, Dr. Silva tapped into his network of suppliers and supporters who offered discounts
SUMMER 2020 / DFCS News Magazine / 15