A better way to afford your dental treatment
If the cost of treatment feels out of reach, you’re not alone. CoCoPay helps you invite friends, family, and others in your personal network to help you bridge the gap so you can move forward with the care you need.
How CoCoPay works
CoCoPay is a different kind of medical crowdfunding. Instead of funds going to you personally, the money raised through your campaign goes directly to our clinic on your behalf to pay for your treatment.
We'll set the campaign goal based on the amount you need to cover. Then you, or someone helping you, share your campaign with the people most likely to support you.
A hand up, not a handout
Most patients can contribute something toward their treatment — just not the full amount. CoCoPay is designed to help close that gap.
The strongest campaigns usually begin with the patient contributing first. That shows commitment and gives friends and family confidence that they’re helping you move toward a real treatment plan, not carrying the whole burden alone.
You can do it yourself — but help is a good idea
Your campaign is designed to be simple to create and manage. CoCoPay provides a guided story template and easy editing tools so you can explain your situation in your own words.
That said, many patients do better when a trusted friend or family member helps. A campaign helper can make writing, sharing, and following up much easier, especially if you’re already dealing with stress, pain, or a busy treatment schedule.
Most funding comes from personal connections
The people most likely to support your campaign are the ones who already know and care about you. That’s why most early donations come from close personal connections — family, friends, coworkers, and others in your circle.
You should expect to share your campaign directly using:
- Text messages
- Facebook Messenger
- Other private messaging apps
You do not need to post your campaign publicly on social media unless you want to. Private sharing is often the best place to start.
All or Nothing funding
CoCoPay uses an All or Nothing funding model to protect you, your donors, and your clinic.
You and your clinic set a clear goal amount that reflects the cost of your treatment or the shortfall you need to cover.
Your campaign runs for a set period, during which people can contribute toward that goal.
If you reach your goal, the funds are released directly to the clinic and applied to your treatment.
If you don’t reach your goal, all the payment commitments are canceled and there is no cost to you, the clinic, or your donors.
This makes it safer to attempt a campaign: you and your supporters know that the treatment only moves forward when the funding plan is actually in place.
Your privacy choices
Your story is personal, and CoCoPay gives you more privacy control than other public crowdfunding platforms. Only the information you choose to share is displayed publicly.
If you want more privacy, you can set your campaign to Private. This reduces visibility and hides the campaign from internet search engines, so it can be viewed by people you share it with directly.
You don’t have to do this alone
CoCoPay gives you a practical way to ask for help, protect your privacy, and move closer to the treatment you need. Start with your own commitment, invite the people closest to you, and let your community help you take the next step
Talk with your Care Coordinator if you'd like to try CoCoPay
Campaigns
What is crowd-financing?
Crowd-financing is similar to crowdfunding used by sites like GoFundMe and FundRazr but has significant advantages when used for paying for dental care procedures.
- Money collected is paid directly to the dental care provider on the patient's behalf and never touched by the patient. This ensure the funds can only be used to pay for dental care.
- Family, friends, and others in the patient's social networks are asked to set up pre-authorized payments to each pay for a small portion of the procedure.
- If the patient collects enough commitments to completely fund the procedure, the pre-authorized payments are processed and the funds are paid to the provider.
- If the campaign reaches the deadline set by the clinic and not enough commitments are collected, all the pre-authorized payments are canceled and no-one is charged anything. This reduces the risk of trying this innovative technique for raising funds as the patient will receive their surgery or the donors don't pay anything.
- The patient's privacy is better protected as they are not required to share their campaign publicly on social media.
Do I get a tax receipt?
While giving to a campaign is a charitable act, as it is paid to a business, it is not eligible for a tax receipt.
How long does the crowd-financing campaign run?
The campaign runs until a deadline. This is usually 14 days from its launch. If the campaign reaches its goal prior to the deadline, the campaign is finalized and the funds are used to pay for the treatment.
What happens if the campaign doesn't reach the goal?
If the campaign does not reach the goal in the timeframe allocated, all pre-authorized payments are cancelled and no-one pays anything.
Our Mission
At Local Start Dental, our mission is simple: restoring smiles and confidence for our underserved neighbors through comprehensive, accessible dental care while advancing the clinical skills of dental professionals. As a nonprofit organization, we combine compassion with innovation to deliver exceptional care to those who need it most while offering hands-on training for the next generation of dental specialists.
Why We're Different
Precision, comfort, convenience
What sets us apart is our dedication to both exceptional care and forward-thinking innovation. Our nonprofit clinic is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including an on-site denture fabrication clinic and the most advanced imaging system available. We offer seamless, in-house dental services from routine cleanings to advanced tooth replacement that guarantee precision and comfort for every patient.
How We're Different
Personal dental care powered by expertise
Our dental care is driven by a collaboration between our general dentists and prosthodontists — dental specialists with years of advanced training from leading dental schools. This expertise allows us to provide tailored, expert-driven solutions for every patient, from routine preventive care to complex restorative treatments. Combined with our digital technology, we deliver care that is both highly personalized and cutting-edge.
