Community Involvement

At Transforming Smiles, Dr. Shariq Zafrani and Dr. Bruce Carter strongly believe that our team’s commitment to neighbors all over Gwinnett County spans far beyond the practice’s walls. That’s why Dr. Carter founded the Brighter Smiles for Brighter Futures foundation in 2001! What began as a small project to raise money for the fight against cancer has now grown to a thriving charity with over 40 participating dentists/sponsors that’s raised over $1.2 million dollars throughout the past 17 years. This money has made real differences for cancer patients throughout Gwinnett County, going to help the Breast Cancer Center at the Gwinnett Medical Center purchase much-needed equipment and vital items.

So how does Brighter Smiles for Brighter Futures work, exactly? It’s simple. Instead of paying for their dental services (usually professional teeth whitening), the patient makes a direct $200 donation to the Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation. The participating dentist then provides professional tray bleaching services and receives no monetary compensation in return (save for a $20 material cost fee). We dedicated 2018’s fundraiser to Dr. Andrea Garmon, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident.