A smile is worth a million bucks.

Well, for local dentist Robert A. McCulla and his clinic, a beautiful smile is on the house.

On Saturday, McCulla and his staff will be hosting the inaugural “Dentistry From the Heart,” where licensed dental professionals will be offering complimentary dental services to 75 members of the community.

The treatments will include free cleaning, whitening, extraction and filling for any community member in need of dental care.

For McCulla, the event isn’t just a means of giving back to the community but also a way to address public health issues as well.

“There are a lot of people out there that need help,” said McCulla. “People tend to put off care for a long time.”

The idea for the “Dentistry from the Heart” event began with Florida dentist, Vincent Monticciolo.

Since the inception of the nonprofit, “Dentistry From the Heart” has hosted over 200 annual events, served over 45,000 patients and provided over $8 million in free dental care.

“It all comes down to wanting to provide something greater to my community,” said McCulla. “The services provided by Dentistry From the Heart helps more than just a patient's teeth, it gives them a renewed reason to smile.”

Although this is the first year for the “Dentistry From the Heart,” event here in Turlock, McCulla and his team have been actively involved in providing community care since 1996.

McCulla also participates in “Smiles for Life,” a fundraiser that allows paying patients to donate funds from whitenings to local charities.

McCulla noted that half of the money generated from the Smiles for Life event went directly back into Turlock.

"Dentistry From the Heart" is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and will be held at McCulla’s clinic, 990 Delbon Ave., in Turlock.

Care will be provided on a first come, first served basis.

For more information regarding the event, call 667-7889.