Give Kids A Smile Day

                                                                         Saturday, February 6, 2010

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE CHILDREN’S DENTAL CENTER OF GREATER LOS ANGELES

The Children’s Dental Center campus was originally the home and private practice of Dr. James B. Sheets. A member and three-time president of the Inglewood Board of Education, Dr. Sheets lived directly across the street from his successful practice for nearly 40 years; while offering high-quality dental care in his state-of-the-art dental office. It was usual for him to receive homemade baked goods in exchange for his services for those who could not afford them.

In 1988 when his health declined, Dr. Sheets turned the practice over to his daughter, Cherilyn G. Sheets, DDS, who by then had gained prominence in esthetic dentistry on her own. The family decided to place the dental facility into a charitable remainder trust, and ultimately the idea of opening a comprehensive community resource for those disadvantaged families without access to dental care for their children was conceived. The Children’s Dental Center opened its doors in December 1995. Five years later, in an effort to expand and intensify the impact of The Children’s Dental Center, The Shannon Kelly Toothfairy Cottage opened as a learning center and administrative office.

Even now, in our fourteenth year of operation, The Children’s Dental Center’s philosophy remains the same: It is through behavioral change, together with dental care of urgent problems, that the immediate needs are addressed while creating a future of diminished dental need and greater self-esteem for children of the working poor.