DENTAL CLINIC PRESS RELEASE

Mill Valley, CA (May 8, 2017)— In spite of age or resources, having dental work done can be nerve-wracking at best, and terrifying, not to mention expensive. Marin’s homeless youth now have a team of top professionals coming to the rescue with the launch of Marin’s first ever FREE Dental Clinic. The home of the clinic is SMA Dental in Corte Madera, a true family practice with a husband and wife team Claudiu Marin, DMD and Laleh Sotoodeh, DMD alongside, Richard and Alex Schmotter, DDS, a father and son team who have been involved for many years providing free dental to underserved communities around the world. The fifth addition to the team is Dr. Alex Kashef, MD, DDS premier oral surgeon. Rounding out this amazing cooperative is Sean Han and his team at Image Dental Lab in the South Bay that are donating crowns and lab restorations for youth.

Two years ago, Drs’ Schmotter, opened up their practice, on a case by case basis, to the homeless youth served by Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity (AHO), Marin’s only nonprofit providing a safety net of resources for homeless youth ages 18 to 25 without families to have the support they need to reach their goals, and avoid becoming homeless adults. The Schmotters were deeply impressed with the drive the youth had to achieve their goals and the commitment, gratitude and appreciation the youth expressed for their support. It seemed like a perfect fit to bring their colleagues along to launch a FREE DENTAL CLINC for these amazing young people who represent 28% of the Marin homeless population as reported by the 2015 HUD Point in Time count.  

The Clinic launch is an expansion of Dr’s Schmotters desire and commitment to “give back” to the underserved youth in the Marin community they are honored to serve. To start, the dentists are offering a Saturday free clinic. Dental care offered will include both major dental work such as (caps, root canals, extractions and implants) as well as minor dental care and basic hygiene. As the clinic grows organically, with more dentists coming on board to donate their time and expertise, expansion will follow to meet the need.

Initial screening begins on Thursday, April 27^th @ the AHO-COM Youth Connect event @ the COM Kentfield campus 11am to 2pm. 

Dental appointments begin on Saturday, April 29^th 10am to 5pm
 SMA Dental Sotoodeh, Schmotter, Marin Associates
770 Tamalpais Drive, Suite 304
Corte Madera Town Center Shopping Center

Richard Schmotter, DDS, began his practice in Corte Madera in 1970. For the past 47 years, his practice’s primary focus was creating a positive patient experience, combined with state of the art technology and the highest level of care. Alex Schmotter, DDS, the son, underwent a three-year accelerated dental school program at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. There, Alex earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree and also brought to market the World’s first plant-based alkaline hydration beverage, Phenoh 7.4 which can be found in Safeway and other stores in Marin.

Dr. Claudiu Marin is a member and fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, a member of the American Dental Association, California Dental Association, and Marin County Dental Society. A graduate from Tufts University, as an undergraduate in Psychology, and the School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, graduating in the top 15 percent of his class. Five years into his dental career, the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) awarded Dr. Marin the prestigious “10 Under 10 Award” given to the top ten dentists demonstrating excellence in dentistry. He was elected President of its local chapter Dental Society, for the next three years. His wife, Laleh Sotoodeh, DMD is a Bay Area native who also graduated from Tufts. In addition, she holds a fellowship in Dental Implants from the I.C.O.I. She has extensive training in reconstructive and smile design dentistry including veneers, crowns and bridge rehabilitations, TMJ and occlusion. Dr. Sotoodeh is a compassionate dentist who loves educating patients about their oral health and creating flawless, invisible dentistry.

Another member of this prestigious team of professional dental philanthropists is Dr. Alex Kashef. Dr. Alex, as he is known, has lived in Marin County for over 10 years and is an established member of the community, both through his family and oral surgery practice. Dr. Alex graduated from the prestigious UCSF Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery School, he moved to Marin to establish a premier practice where patients would not only be treated as family, but would also have access to the highest level of treatment possible.

Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity (AHO), is Marin’s only nonprofit that provides comprehensive, youth-friendly, preventative ‘safety net” and hand-up for these young people to not end up as homeless adults. In 13 years, over 1,600 are now in stable housing, working several jobs, completing their educations and “giving back” to AHO through the AHO Youth Team projects. The top 3 things homeless youth request are housing, jobs and dental care.

Only youth that are pre-screened at the College of Marin Kentfield campus for the AHO Youth Connect event on Thursday, April 27 from 11am to 2pm can participate in the free clinic offerings. The 2017 AHO-COM Youth Connect is a youth-led event produced by the AHO YOUTH Team in collaboration with COM and the City of San Rafael. Housing assistance by AHO, 6 employers taking applications and interviewing include Costco, Chipotle, City of San Rafael, Trader Joes, Laborers Union and Carpenters Union, CAL FRESH and music by THE HAPPYS, a successful band led by a former homeless youth served by AHO, that are donating their time. Free gifts including), Sister Cycles (feminine hygiene products) and Mary Kay (lotions, facials and lip gloss packages) will be given at the event. Over 200 youth are expected to attend the Youth Connect and will have follow up support provided after the event and ongoing.

At the Youth Connect dental prescreening, youth will be given an appointment time to come for their dental work at the Clinic on Saturday, April 29^th. Youth will be seen by 4 or more professional dentists between 10am to 5pm that day. Follow-up appointments will be available as needed, and going forward, each youth will have a “dental home” for all their future and ongoing dental needs.