CHANGING LIVES
ONE SMILE AT A TIME
A cross-border community-based nonprofit offering comprehensive cleft lip, palate, dental, and hearing programs in a permanent Mexico clinic. We focus on bringing the best care, training, and lifelong support to underserved children and their families.
Our Mission
Thousand Smile Foundation’s mission is to provide exceptional medical and dental treatment at no cost to patients with maxillofacial deformities who would otherwise go untreated. We aim to be part of a lifelong health journey alongside patients, families, and the Mexican communities, emphasizing collaboration with medical professionals, schools, Rotarians, and passionate volunteers to exchange techniques and foster strong relationships.
Working Across Borders to Change Lives
Discover the incredible 40 years + mission we (as doctors, nurses, Rotarians, and volunteers) undertake to provide life-changing cleft palate, cleft lip, and dental treatment to children in need in Mexico. Your support ensures that local kids with maxillofacial deformities receive the care they deserve, FREE OF CHARGE.
We have surpassed our one thousand smiles mark and performed over 2,000 cleft palate surgeries and an additional 20,000 dental visits.
We couldn’t have done it without you. We are unique in that at our permanent Ensenada clinic, we provide a full range of reconstructive surgeries, specialty care in hearing, speech therapy, dentistry, orthodontia, and even nutrition support. We are committed to providing the very best care for patients and their families throughout their lives at no cost to them.
VOLUNTEER STORIES & WISHLISTS
Dale, President of TSF
I believe this surgery is “life-saving, if not physically, then emotionally.” It gives children the chance to live a normal life instead of one shaped by bullying, embarrassment, or the need to hide.
I have watched the clinic improve tremendously over the years, and I am incredibly proud of how far it has come. At the same time, there are still simple things that would make a real difference. Having a couple of permanent computers at the clinic would go a long way, so I do not have to bring my own each time.
This work is about dignity, confidence, and possibility. Every improvement, big or small, helps us give that to the children and families we serve.
Dr. Earl, Surgeon
I have been coming down from Los Angeles for more than 30 years to perform cleft lip and palate surgeries, and I keep coming back for one simple reason. “This is one of the most impactful surgeries one can perform. It makes such a dramatic change in patients’ lives.”
One moment stays with me. A young man came into the clinic with his wife and two children. When I looked at his chart, I realized I had performed his surgery 20 years earlier. He looked at me and said, “If it had not been for you, I would not have had this,” gesturing to his family.
That is why I do this work.
Compared to my practice in Los Angeles, we do a lot with very little. One thing that would truly make a difference here is having access to a CT scanner.
Dr. Marc and Dr. Jacob, TSF Physicians
“This is what I went to medical school for,” says Dr. Marc, an ENT surgeon who has been caring for children at Thousand Smiles Foundation for 32 years, treating the ear problems often associated with cleft palate. When he first sought a volunteer opportunity after medical school, this was the only clinic he found that was committed to following children throughout their entire childhood after cleft palate surgery.
Dr. Jacob adds that ear and throat issues related to cleft repair frequently require years of follow-up care, making that long-term commitment essential.
Dr. Marc also notes the joy of working without billing or bureaucracy, a sharp contrast to modern U.S. medical practice. Still, he says, a few newer microscopes would go a long way in supporting their work.
Meet Thousand Smiles
We are doctors, dentists, orthodontists, speech therapists, audiologists, health educators, nurses, and regular volunteers who work to provide dental care, orthodontia, as well as surgical repair of cleft lips/cleft palates for children in Mexico who might otherwise receive no care.
We are licensed, credentialed professionals from Mexico and the U.S. We are affiliated with Loma Linda University, UCSD, and UCLA. We provide continuity of care; we see patients as infants and will continue to provide proper care as the patient grows until the defects are repaired.
About Cleft Palate and Cleft Lip
Cleft lip and Palate are abnormalities of the mouth and upper lip present at birth.
“Cleft” refers to an abnormal gap between the two sides of the lip and the inner roof of the mouth. There are small barely noticeable defects or some that are very severe and disfiguring. There are effective surgical treatments for all of these children.
Correcting these problems requires a team of specialists, many surgeries, hearing assistance, speech therapy, and long-term dental services. At Thousand Smiles Clinic, we are prepared to provide all of these services for the lives of these children!
What Our Volunteers and Donors Say
DONOR SPOTLIGHT:
Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation
Training Ground for Medical Careers
Thousand Smiles is more than a clinic; it’s also a hands-on training ground for aspiring medical and pre-med students. Here, students gain valuable experience observing medical and surgical procedures and learning within a healthcare system very different from that of the United States. They shadow doctors through every stage of diagnosis and treatment, while also welcoming and guiding young patients throughout their care journey.
Our volunteers are motivated by a desire to serve, and by working with Thousand Smiles, they deepen their commitment to using medicine to help underserved communities. The experience offers powerful perspective. Students come to appreciate the resources and technology available north of the border, while witnessing how our dedicated TSF doctors deliver outstanding care through innovation, teamwork, and compassion, even when modern equipment and conveniences are limited.