For Gateway Dental Group in Folsom, Saturday was all about smiles.

The day marked the first Smile Generation Serve Day for the dental office.

“I’ve done service and charity work in the past, but this is the first time in this practice and it’s a blessing,” said Jack Gorman, dentist/owner of Gateway Dental Group. “We have an awesome team here, and it’s really great to be part of the community and give back to local charities.”

Smile Generation is a dental referral service that currently serves dentists and their clients in five states: California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas and Colorado.

“The whole entire Smile Generation is doing service day today,” said Todd Fischer, regional manager for Pacific Dental Services, which provides business services to Gateway. “We have over 400 dentists that will be involved with it throughout the country in all the different offices.”

Alexis Wilkerson, office manager for Gateway, spearheaded the effort, Gorman said.

“We worked in conjunction with Powerhouse Ministries, and really Alexis did all the coordinating, all the scheduling, all the design and all the planning for this event,” Gorman said. “All I had to do is show up and help.”

Gateway provided free dental care for 24 people on Saturday. Dentist Victoria Mosur also contributed her skills and time.

“Since I have a background of hard times, I figured that I would like to give back,” Mosur said. “Because we had a lot of good people give us something.”

Wilkerson worked with Powerhouse’s Lisa Neuman to schedule those parishioners who don’t have the means to have their dental work done otherwise.

More than one day’s work will result from this effort.

“I’m also going to continue with Lisa in the future,” Wilkerson said. “Through this event she and I have kind of established a connection and we’re going to have a meeting next week and potentially contract with them to provide discounted services for their transitional residents.”

Numerous sponsors contributed items for “swag bags” that were provided to each client as well as the special basket that was raffled off by a drawing at the end of the day.

“Costco and Sam’s (Club) donated a lot,” Wilkerson said.

Other sponsors included Best Buy, Wendy’s, Olive Garden, Raley’s, Bel Air, Wal-Mart and more.

Mike Larsen found out about the opportunity by way of Powerhouse Ministries. Through lips still numb from his treatment, he told something about himself.

“I took an Amtrak train out here Dec. 30, 2008,” he said. “I lived in the Mid West. I just kind of burned some of my bridges back there.”

His sister invited him to live with her, but she passed away the day before Valentine’s Day 2010, and Larsen was homeless last summer.

He had a portion of a tooth break off.

“I walked into a dentist office and they were talking root canal, and crown, and I just seen dollar signs like — whoa,” Larsen said.

He opted for an extraction, which cost much less, and was also informed how his old fillings, over the years, expand and contract while the tooth does not, which creates cracks in the teeth and more cavities that need treatment.

“So that’s what they’re doing for me now,” Larsen said. “I wasn’t even expecting it. I was thinking I’d just get my teeth cleaned, but they were very gracious, offered these services, these inlays, which is a type of crown. I’m most appreciative.”

Other dental groups participating in the service day in the Sacramento area included Green Valley Dental Group in El Dorado Hills, River City Dental Group in Rancho Cordova, Citrus Dental Group in Citrus Heights, Highland Dental Group in Rocklin, and Pavilions Dental Group and Pleasant Grove Dental Group, both of Roseville.

Ricky Herrera, 18, also received dental care on the service day.

“It was wonderful, very nice,” Herrera said. “Better than a lot of dental offices I’ve been to.”