Bridges for Smiles Children's Dental Clinic, Grove Ok

Dear Parent or Guardian,

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, dental diseases are among the most prevalent health problems for children in Oklahoma. Although oral diseases are considered highly preventable, most of the state's population is affected with some form of dental disease at some time during their lives. Teeth are necessary for appearance, for proper speech, and to properly chew food. Untreated dental diseases affect the quality of life for children and can result in very serious health problems.

Grove Dental Associates has partnered with Rivers of Life Ministries and INTEGRIS Grove General Hospital through the Townsend Children’s Fund to offer dental services to Delaware County children through the creation of Bridges for Smiles. The mission of Bridges for Smile dental clinic is to provide health, hope, faith, and the opportunity for children to meet their full potential through compassionate dental care.

Located in Grove in the Rivers of Life community center, the Bridges for Smiles dental clinic will provide quality and gentle dental care to a child in need at no cost to the patient or their family. Patient criteria will include (1) any child, 18 years old or younger, residing in Delaware County who is (2) Medicaid eligible, (3) self-pay patients who do not qualify for Medicaid, (Sooner Care), or Indian Health Services and (4) patients needing dental care whose income is at or below the income level set by INTEGRIS Grove General Hospital. The procedures for dispensing the funds may be the same as the Patient In Need Fund through INTEGRIS Grove General Hospital, which assists indigent patients and emergency situations.

Please fill-out the attached application and mail it to: 
Bridges for Smiles 
PO Box 453252
Grove, OK 74345

Your application will be processed and you will receive notice of acceptance or decline within two weeks. Thank you for your interest in Bridges for Smiles!

Bridges for Smiles Children's Dental Clinic, Israel

Dr's. Stan and Audrey’s initial outreach was to Sderot, Israel in the fall of 2005. Sderot is a small town which borders the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. In the fall of 2007, Bridges for Smiles opened a dental clinic in Beit She'an, Israel. The need for dentistry and dental knowledge is still a great need in Israel, as it is a medical need not met through government funding and often something that is not affordable for many families.

Bridges for Smiles provides a unique opportunity to show the love of Christ in a practical and much needed way; it allows you to truly put your hands and feet to the gospel. Dental work builds a platform that opens doors that words can not. It is the Crawford’s prayer that dentists and others who feel called by God to this most holy work would join Bridges for Smiles in our effort.

We would like to ask that you please prayerfully consider how you might help support this outreach and the ministry of Bridges for Smiles.

Local Church Group Visits Israel Clinic. This spring, 38 travelers with Good to Go with Patti Beth made a Journey to the Holyland. These local travelers enjoyed a visitto Bet She'an as our community has a direct tie to this tiny town near Jerusalem. Not far from the roman ruins there is a modest facility with two dental chairs and a small waiting room. The sign on the fence says "sponsored by the House of David, Fairland, Oklahoma." This is the dental office that Dr's Stan and Audrey Crawford of Grove Dental Clinic, work in as a ministry to the children of the area. The folks from Oklahoma were met by the local mayor and staff from the clinic. Refreshments were served and thanks were given over and over for the two suitcases full of small toys to be used by the medical staff as rewards for the children. Mt. Herman Church of Jay members Don and Sherry Youngblood, told their church about the need and the youth and children filled one whole suitcase by themselves! A couple of small patients, finishing up with the hygienist while the tour was in progress, where the first to pick from the pile of toys spilling from the luggage.Their smiles were even bigger with the present from the visiting Americans.

Dr. Stan Crawford, DDS. Dr. Stan (" The most rewarding thing I do is to improve a person's self esteem by improving their smile") has the artistic ability to excel in cosmetic dentistry and the precision of dental implants. He has expertise in porcelain veneers and other cosmetic procedures and has pursued a high standard of continuing education focusing in this area of dentistry. He is also trained to offer sedation dentistry to his patients.

Dr. Stan is a 1992 graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. After dental school, he did a General Practice Residency at St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City, OK. He has practiced dentistry in Grove since 1993. He is a member of the American Dental Association, the Oklahoma Dental Association, and Pierre Fauchard Academy. He currently serves as President of the Grove General Hospital Foundation Board. Dr. Stan's wife, Audrey, has practiced with him since moving to Grove. They have five children. His hobbies include hunting, fishing and following OU football. Drs. Crawford founded the dental outreach ministry Bridges for Smiles.

On April 27, 2007, Dr. Stan was elected to the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry for a three-year term.

Dr. Stan saves Christmas (2010) for California man. Click Here