orthodontist Port Jefferson, Medford, NY offer braces and Invisalign » Children in Need

Coolsmiles Donates Extreme Orthodontic Makeover to the Lutz Family in Setauket NY

CoolSmiles — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 09:27:13 +0000

Coolsmiles has joined forces with the Emmy winning TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and donated an Extreme Makeover: Orthodontic Edition of their own.

As most of you already know because of all the media coverage, the Lutz family of East Setauket, NY was the recipient of a Long Island Extreme Makeover set to begin on Tuesday June 22 and completed by the end of the week.

Kenyan Villagers, Corruption and Cell phones

CoolSmiles — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:57:39 +0000

Masai Villager

I noticed something very interesting on the taxi ride back to the airport from my recent Smile Train mission to Nairobi. A local traffic officer stopped a van in front of us at a red light. My driver informed us that corruption is rampant in Kenya and the officer was asking for a bribe. I know that this common in many countries but what transpired was very strange. Before the light turned green, both the driver and the officer took out their cell phones and with a few keystrokes the deed was done. I learned that many Kenyans keep their money and do their banking with their cell phone providers and not the bank. It is much safer and very convenient. Their salaries are deposited directly and they pay their bills by cell. Our driver told us that in the past, in order for him to give his father any money, he had to drive three to four hours to the village. He can now do it via cell phone, saving him the trip and allowing his father immediate access to the money in case of emergency. There are small kiosks in most villages with representatives that can make the exchange. By the way, his father is 91 years old. I’m sure that we will soon see that technology here and there will be an app for that. Go figure. DrK

Update- Dr.K's Mission to Kenya

CoolSmiles — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:07:21 +0000

Jambo, Jambo! (hello in Swahili). I'm happy to report that we all arrived safely in Nairobi after a long 20 hour journey. We spent the weekend sightseeing before meeting our local colleagues. We visited a giraffe sanctuary and an elephant orphanage. I'll post the photos when I get back. Monday morning started with a 5:30 wake up call and an hour trip to the hospital. The traffic is worse than anything I've seen anywhere. The people are very friendly and everyone is very appreciative that we took the time to come and share our expertise. The first day was hectic but productive. The kids are alway s great. Time for bed, stay tuned, more to come. DrK

Blogging from Africa? – Dr.Klempner's Mission to Kenya

CoolSmiles — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:45:47 +0000

As many of you know, I'll be traveling to Nairobi, Kenya on behalf of Smile Train. Unlike many of my previous trips where I was the provider of treatment for the cleft children, the purpose of this trip is primarily educational in nature. There are so many children born with this birth defect worldwide that many of us feel the only hope for the future is training local health care providers so they may provide the care needed in their own country. To meet this goal, I am traveling with a small team of great people. Alex Dagum,MD is chief of plastic surgery at Stony Brook Hospital and co-chair of the cleft palate team. Jamie Barbera,AuD an audiologist, and Kerri Ann Elorriaga,MS,CCC/SLP a speech pathologist are experienced practitioners and also members of the Stony Brook cleft palate team. I am really fortunate to have my wife Laurie Klempner, RN,MSN with a background in women's health also join us.

Help Support Dr.K's SmileTrain Mission to Africa. Come to Tommy's Place in Rocky Point this Friday Night 7p.m.-10p.m.

CoolSmiles — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:51:10 +0000

As you may already know, I have a strong professional interest in helping children born with dentofacial deformities such as cleft lip and palate. I have been on eleven overseas missions with volunteer groups such as Operation Smile and Health Volunteers Overseas. See link on our website. (Watch our video below about my experiences oversees.)