Safe.Smile.Space. - S3

At Smile Brands, we've long been committed to our vision of delivering Smiles for Everyone! That has not changed and will not change. We see that today's environment demands greater clarity around how we care for our people during this time of stress and change.

This is an opportunity to define how we nurture the whole person and how we proactively improve. This starts with physical safety and our uncompromising commitment to ensure both our people and our patients are protected. It does not end there but extends to creating a haven of psychological safety and mutual respect. This is a lot to take on.

This is a journey and our Team readily acknowledges that it is an opportunity to grow each day. We set out to define a Safe.Smile.Space. A tent under which everyone who enters commits to a code of diligence and conduct to protect and enrich one another.

We went through each word with thought. We know we don't have it all right. But we do know that nothing of purpose comes without declaration and commitment and we have taken that leap.

We are talking to our entire Team, 5,000 strong, in regular conversations centrally and locally, we are delivering training, and we are modifying what we do based on what we hear and experience. In short, we are better today than we were yesterday. We are thrilled to journey into what tomorrow brings.

We invite you to step into your journey and we are happy to share our learnings.

Here is our Safe.Smile.Space declaration:

Dentistry is a demanding profession. It is rewarding as patients are restored to function, relieved of pain, and physically and psychologically uplifted.  Normally, the gratitude coming from patients is predominant. 

Our current environment is under tremendous stress from the challenges of COVID-19 and broad social discord. While many patients are expressing greater appreciation for our work, we have also seen this climate negatively impact some patient behaviors.  

According to the Bible, the tabernacle or Tent of the Congregation, was the portable earthly dwelling place of Yahweh, providing a safe haven for the people. In these turbulent times, many are struggling with feelings of helplessness and fear; fear of infection, of violence, and of the fabric of society changing. While we have a part to play in the broader dialogue, we have control to create a model community and safe haven within the “four walls” of our organization for one another – our Safe. Smile. Space.

Within Our Tent…

1.    We adhere to the strictest safety protocols to protect ourselves and our patients from infection. Every time. 

2.    We do not adjust our protocols for patients unwilling to do their part to ensure their safety and ours.  

3.    We empathize with patients who are under stress but we do not take their negative words or actions personally.

4.    We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment or racism. This includes violence, micro-aggressions, and hateful or hurtful language. We maintain an environment where these issues are decisively addressed. 

5.    We are a Team. We pick each other up. We protect one another.  We support each other with kindness, understanding, and empathy.  We “recharge” our teammates when we see or they express a need.