At Watts Dental, dentistry has never been just about teeth.
“We’re not in the dental business. We’re in the people business,” said Watts Dental.
That philosophy is at the heart of how Watts Dental serves its patients, supports its team and gives back to communities — and this September, it will take the Watts Dental team all the way to Comayagua, Honduras.
From Saturday, September 19, through Saturday, September 26, Watts Dental will partner with Solanus Medical Mission to provide dental treatment, education, compassion and support to more than 300 people in underserved communities. The trip is especially significant because it will be the first time Solanus Medical Mission brings a dedicated dental team on one of its Honduras missions.
For Dr. Jason Watts, founder of Watts Dental, participating in a dental mission trip has been a longtime dream. But the team doesn’t want to simply travel to Honduras, provide care for a week and leave.
They want the impact to continue.
Watts Dental is raising funds to purchase dental instruments, equipment, materials, and supplies that can remain in Honduras after the mission. The goal is to equip local dental providers with additional resources they can continue using to care for their communities long after the Watts Dental team returns to Florida.
“We don’t want this to be about what we can accomplish in one week. We want to leave something behind that allows care to continue after we’re gone,” said Maricarmen Saleta, chief heart officer at Watts Dental.
That approach reflects a larger philosophy within the growing Tampa Bay dental group. Watts Dental believes a dental practice can be a force for good — not only through the care provided inside its offices but also through the way it treats people and invests in communities.
Through its partnership with B1G1, Watts Dental connects patient visits with charitable impact around the world, and the organization has also donated more than $1.7 million to local veterans.
The Honduras mission is the next chapter in that commitment.
To help make it possible, Watts Dental is inviting patients, local businesses, dental suppliers and members of the Tampa Bay community to become part of the mission. Watts Dental will match every dollar raised, doubling the impact of community support. The organization is also seeking donations of dental equipment, instruments, materials, and supplies that can be used during the trip and, whenever possible, left behind for future care.
For Watts Dental, the mission represents what the organization wants dentistry to look like: people caring for people.
To support the Watts Dental Honduras mission: www.gofundme.com/f/bringsmiles-to-honduras. Watts Dental: www.wattsdentalfl.com. Solanus Medical Mission: www.solanusmedicalmission.org.
