AAE wins fifth Silver Trumpet Award for ‘Hockey Smile / Saving Your Teeth’ influencer campaign

The Golden Trumpet Awards — often dubbed the Oscars of communications in the Midwest — celebrate excellence in public relations, marketing, communications strategy and creative execution. In 2025, the event spotlighted Gold and Silver Award winners across numerous categories.

The overall goal for this campaign was to increase awareness of the American Association of Endodontists. The campaign was constructed with two main messaging points that focused on encouraging people to seek out an endodontist to help save their teeth and to encourage followers to use the AAE website to find an endodontist in their area.

To achieve this goal, influencer Kasimir Kaskisuo, a professional hockey player who understands the need for saving your natural teeth, created one long-form video posted on both Instagram and TikTok to increase awareness of the AAE. Kaskisuo has a combined nearly 230,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok.

The Instagram reel that captivated

The high-impact reel reimagines the “hockey smile” trope — long associated with missing front teeth in hockey culture — and reframes it as a moment of possibility rather than inevitability.

The engaging visuals capture attention showcasing the reality of a hockey player’s life — knocked out teeth — segueing into an animated depiction of root canal treatment. The caption reads: “Fix your hockey smile & save your teeth with a painless root canal. Don‘t fear the root canal - head over to findmyendodontist.com and get back into the game with a help of an endodontist! #WorthSaving #hockey #rootcanal”

The reel quickly generated strong traction — hundreds of thousands of views on Instagram alone, with shares, saves and reposts amplifying reach.

Organizational milestone and recognition

This marks AAE’s fifth Silver Trumpet — a milestone underscoring the association’s consistency and innovation in communications. Over time, the AAE has cultivated a track record of award-winning campaigns that bridge clinical authority and public engagement.

“This award underscores the power of combining creativity with a mission-driven message,” said Ken Widelka, AAE executive director. “Our team, and our influencer partner, helped us reframe a familiar image in an amusing and meaningful way — showing audiences that root canal treatment can help any athlete get back in the game.”

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