The charities that patients can choose among to support include Prevent Child Abuse-Georgia, Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, Georgia Center for Children, Project Open Hand-Atlanta, or the Ben Massell Dental Clinic.

Dr. Robert N. Pickron, an Atlanta-based orthodontist whose practice has replaced thousands of lost retainers at his 20 metro-area practice offices over the last 37 years, is launching Project Smile during National Orthodontic Health Month in October.

"I was looking for a way to turn a bad situation into a win-win for those in need," Pickron said. "This way my patients leave with a new retainer as well as a good feeling that they're helping others."

He estimates that the 20 Pickron Orthodontic Care clinics replace more than 300 retainers a year at an average per patient cost of $125. He said Project Smile will continue indefinitely.

Long active in local volunteer work, including Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and the Gwinnett Council on Child Abuse, Pickron said he empathized with the "groans of the grownups" that were passing through his offices, writing check after check for their kids' lost retainers.

"We are thrilled to be selected as one of the recipients and sincerely thank Dr. Pickron for his generosity," said Stephen Woods, executive director of Project Open Hand. "What Dr. Pickron is doing in partnership with his patients is a wonderful endeavor and each donation will be acknowledged."

For orthodontic health, parents are urged to:

Be sure your child visits an orthodontist by the age of seven

Be sure your child flosses regularly

Suggest they floss while watching TV, listening to the radio or on-line

Be sure they brush after flossing

Halloween is approaching and children with braces should avoid eating sticky, chewy, hard or crunchy food.

These tips will ensure stronger and healthier teeth in children.

Pickron Orthodontic Care has 20 offices in metro Atlanta, including Athens, and is the largest provider of orthodontic services in the Southeast. For more information, visit www.pickron.com .