Serving Our Community

At Delta Dental of Tennessee, our mission is to ensure healthy smiles. We are committed to improving oral health and ultimately the overall health of the communities we serve by supporting like-minded organizations and charities. We support organizations like Second Harvest Food Bank, the American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and more that help improve the health and wellbeing of our communities. We love to participate in events and projects that raise funds and awareness for organizations like Governor's Books from Birth Foundation, Music City Bowl, the St. Jude Classic, and others.

Delta Dental created the Smile180 Foundation to support Tennessee’s charitable and reduced-cost dental clinics, children’s hospitals, and oral health education.

Delta Dental sponsors youth mouthguard programs that promote the importance of wearing a mouthguard to protect against injuries to the mouth and face. Delta Dental partners with the Nashville Predators Youth Hockey League and the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl’s Youth Football Program—to provide mouthguards to youth athletes. Over the past ten years, more than 150,000 mouthguards have been distributed to youth athletes statewide.

The statistics are clear that sports and recreation can lead to dental injury: more than 3 million teeth will be knocked out in youth sporting activities this year. However, the evidence is also clear that wearing a mouthguard can help to prevent dental injury; an athlete is 60 times more likely to suffer harm to the teeth when not wearing a mouthguard.

Mouthguards can prevent damage to the teeth, jaw, and inside the mouth by buffering the impact of a fall or blow to the head. They are mandatory for youth ice hockey, football, and lacrosse, but their use shouldn’t be limited to just those sports. It’s important to use a mouthguard during any activity where there is a strong chance for contact with other participants or hard surfaces, including basketball, baseball, wrestling, bicycling, in-line skating, and martial arts.

With all they can do to protect the teeth, mouthguards are one of the most effective pieces of protective equipment in sports!