Holly doctor practices ‘Dentistry from the Heart’

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Dr. Steven Sulfaro

HOLLY, Michigan –  Dr. Steven Sulfaro knows all about giving back to his community. In February, he routinely participates in “Give Kids a Smile Day,” and on Friday, he’ll help a Grand Blanc associate see patients as part of the “Dentistry from the Heart” program.

Founded in Tampa, Fla. in 2001, Dentistry from the Heart started as Dr. Vincent Monticciolo’s way of giving back to his community and providing aid to the growing number of Americans without dental insurance.

In 2008, the national non-profit organization enlisted hundreds of volunteers who donated more than $1.5 million dollars in dental services provided to 5, 500 Americans desperately in need of dental care.

Knowing that his Grand Blanc colleague Dr. Ibrahim Jarjoura had participated in Dentistry from the Heart last year, Sulfaro said he contacted his friend for a little advice.

“Currently, I’m the president of the Genesee District Dental Society and one of my initiatives is to have a project like Dentistry from the Heart next spring in Flint,” Sulfaro said. “It will take place at Mott Dental Hygiene Clinic as sort of a citywide, countywide type of thing.”

In preparing for the upcoming clinic, Sulfaro said he began “picking Jarjoura’s brain” for information he could eventually use for his event

“He explained how last year’s Dentistry from the Heart had been his first experience with the program and how he didn’t know what to expect,” Sulfaro said. “He thought maybe 40 or 50 people would show up.”  

That morning, Jarjoura was surprised to find between 300 and 400 people lined up outside his office. “They began lining up at four in the morning and on hearing that, I asked him if he needed some help with his efforts this year, and that’s how we got involved.”

On a first come first served basis, Jarjoura’s overflow of patients will be funneled through his office via shuttle to Sulfaro’s Holly office for treatment.

“We’re all volunteering our time and will see patients from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.,” Sulfaro said. “We’ll do cleanings, fillings extractions – basically emergency care – things that people are suffering with that they haven’t had an opportunity to get in and get taken care of.”

For more information, contact Jarjoura’s Dental Care Team, PC, 8189 Saginaw in Grand Blanc at (810) 695-1151.