Brooklyn, N.Y., student receives gift of a healthy smile

Once saying, “I wish I could smile without feeling ashamed,” Zeb faced an uncertain future. How would he ever be able to become successful in life when he was too ashamed to smile confidently in an interview situation?

A bright student, Zeb was always judging himself and wished more than anything he could smile with confidence. Zeb and his mother did not have the resources to get the dental treatment he so desperately needed, so they turned to Tomorrow’s SMILES, a teen program of the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation: America’s Toothfairy (NCOHF), for help.

Through this NCOHF program, Zeb was introduced to Dr. Anthony Ramirez and his team. Little did he know just how much this experience and this Tomorrow’s SMILES volunteer dentist could change his life. His journey to a happy, healthy future was about to begin.

Poor oral health can be devastating for an adolescent struggling to fit in and prepare for a successful future. Zeb is not alone in this struggle. More than 51 million school hours are missed each year from dental disease. While they are in school, many suffering teens are distracted by pain and embarrassment, causing poor academic and social development.

Even more disturbing are the effects this can have on their future. Their struggles of today can shatter their hopes and dreams for their future. Every day, more than 1,200 adolescents abandon high school education and, in many cases, give up on themselves.

Tomorrow’s SMILES was designed to give teens like Zeb the building blocks they need for healthy, productive futures by providing them with life-changing oral health services. Through this innovative program sponsored by the Patterson Foundation, volunteer dental practitioners provide pro bono services to promising at-risk teens in their community, restoring their self-esteem and encouraging them to take responsibility for their oral health. Volunteer dentists participating in Tomorrow’s SMILES have access to generously donated Invisalign and Nobel Biocare (including Procera) products to help restore the smiles of pre-screened, promising teens.

Tomorrow’s SMILES experience reaches beyond the participating teen. In return for receiving life-changing care, participating teens Pay It Forward by sharing their newfound oral health knowledge through interactive oral health lessons with younger children in their community. Pay It Forward enables these teens to serve as mentors and teachers to children, encouraging good oral health habits that will help them maintain beautiful, happy smiles throughout their lives and help to break the cycle of pediatric dental disease in their own community. Zeb’s mentoring experience enabled him to share preventive strategies and good oral health habits with children in his community. The children enjoyed the experience so much they asked him to teach the lessons again!

Volunteer Tomorrow’s SMILES dentists like Dr. Anthony Ramirez truly make a difference in the young lives they touch.

“I really want them to understand how much of an impact they have had on my life. Without their help, I would not be the person I am today, with the confidence to take on any challenge,” Zeb stated about Dr. Anthony Ramirez and his team.

Zeb is now attending his first year of college on a full scholarship. “I have been blessed with an incredible gift,” remarked Zeb about his restored, beautiful smile and renewed hope for a future filled with possibilities ahead.

(Source: National Children's Oral Health Foundation)