Brighter Way Institute (BWI) has a transformational mission and a rich history of providing comprehensive oral health services to individuals living in poverty. Founded by Dr. Kris Volcheck in 2001, BWI started as a pilot project at the Human Services Campus in downtown Phoenix, operating out of a small trailer. Today the Downtown Clinic is Brighter Way’s flagship program, collaborating with other service providers on Campus. The Downtown Clinic is at the leading edge of dental technology with extensive in-house production capabilities now possible through digitization and technology. Restorative oral health services are provided to homeless, veterans, and low-income adults. In 2020, Brighter Way completed a 2,521 sq. ft. remodel to increase capacity and maximize efficiencies to this under-served population.
Over the years, Brighter Way broadened its demographic reach, embracing the belief that all people regardless of race, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, or gender identity deserve access to quality oral healthcare. Our patients include vulnerable adults, children, veterans, those experiencing homelessness, the working poor, LGBTQ youth at risk, and individuals with special needs. Over 94,000 services are provided annually through three clinics and the Brighter Way Mobile Dental Unit.
Now celebrating a twenty year milestone of “Transforming More Than Smiles”, BWI has become one of the leading nonprofit providers of comprehensive and restorative oral health care in Greater Phoenix. From very humble beginnings, the organization navigates imposing challenges to provide oral health services to those in poverty. As a nonprofit dental organization, we are dedicated to eliminating oral health inequities that others have found overwhelming and cost prohibitive. Many drivers of oral health problems and chronic disease result from poverty and unmet social needs - with homelessness topping the list. The Surgeon General emphasizes that a linkage exists, “between poor oral health, cardiovascular disease, respiratory infection, and poor pregnancy outcomes”. Brighter Way has a strong collaborative history of helping to improve this.
