The AAPD Foundation recently awarded four Three-Year Access to Care Grants in the Northeastern district, bringing vital dental care to children who need it most.

University of Maryland, Baltimore – Baltimore, MD

The Access to Care Grant enables the University of Maryland School of Dentistry’s OH-UUC Program to provide comprehensive preventive, restorative, and emergency oral health care to 159 uninsured, low-income children – many from undocumented families – through bilingual, family-centered services.

KinderSmile Foundation – Bloomfield, NJ

The Access to Care Grant helps KinderSmile Foundation provide essential, barrier-free dental care to nearly 6,000 underserved children in New Jersey, offering compassionate, culturally sensitive care that builds lifelong oral health and confidence.

Community Volunteers in Medicine (CVIM) – West Chester, PA

The Access to Care Grant has enabled CVIM to provide a dental home for more than 400 uninsured, low-income children over the past six months, offering essential preventive and restorative care through school and Head Start partnerships.

Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic (LCPC) – Lancaster, PA

The Access to Care Grant allowed LCPC to expand its Dental Home program, increasing capacity to provide comprehensive, specialized dental care – including preventive, restorative, surgical, and hospital-based services – to more children with special health care needs, many from disadvantaged or rural communities.

Your support ensures that these programs continue to provide critical dental care to children who need it most, creating healthier, brighter futures – one smile at a time. Your support has been life-changing for two children, in particular.

Kender’s Story

When seven-year-old Kender and his mother arrived from Guatemala, they carried little more than hope. His mother, a single parent juggling two jobs in restaurants and housecleaning, dreamed of giving her son a healthy, happy childhood. But without proper documentation, they couldn’t qualify for New Jersey Medicaid – and Kender’s worsening dental pain became unbearable.

After months of saving, his mother brought him to KinderSmile Foundation, where the extent of his suffering became clear: multiple infections, severe decay, and several teeth that needed urgent care. Thanks to the AAPD Foundation’s support, KinderSmile provided every treatment Kender needed – two pulpotomies and stainless-steel crowns, four extractions, and caries restorations on six additional teeth. Today, his pain is gone, his smile is bright, and his confidence shines.

Ever’s Story

Six-year-old Ever came to Chester County from Guatemala with his parents, David and Marina, dreaming of a brighter future. But constant tooth pain made it hard for him to laugh, play, or even enjoy his favorite foods like pizza, burgers, and fries. When a family friend told them about CVIM, everything changed.

Thanks to support from the AAPD Foundation and CVIM’s community partnership with Chester County Dentistry for Children, Ever received life-changing dental care under general anesthesia, including eight extractions, six stainless steel crowns, one porcelain crown, and two fillings, along with a sealant and x-rays.

Today, Ever is all smiles – pain-free, healthy, and back to being a happy kindergartener who can finally enjoy his favorite slice of pizza again.

The AAPD Foundation recently awarded eight Access to Care Grants in the North Central district, bringing vital dental care to children who need it most.

St. Bernard Dental Center – Chicago, IL

The Access to Care Grant has enabled the St. Bernard Dental Center to replace its failing mobile dental unit with a permanent dental compressor and unit, removing a critical barrier to providing complete oral rehabilitation.

Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society – Oak Park, IL

The Access to Care grant supports the salaries of pediatric dentists at the IWS Children’s Clinic, ensuring continuity of care during staff transitions.

Trustees of Indiana University (IUSD) – Bloomington, IL

The Access to Care Grant has enabled IUSD to provide comprehensive dental homes for children from financially fragile families while expanding hands-on pediatric training opportunities for dental students.

InterCare Community Health Center – Benton Harbor, MI

The Access to Care Grant has enabled InterCare Community Health Center to bring pediatric dental services directly to the Benton Harbor community, which previously lacked a local pediatric dentist for decades.

United We Smile – Traverse City, MI

The Access to Care Grant has enabled UWS to hire a full-time dentist, expanding clinic hours and ensuring consistent, high-quality care for patients while enhancing student training.

Akron Children’s Hospital – Akron, OH

The Access to Care Grant has enabled Akron Children’s Hospital to update essential mobile dentistry carts in three operating rooms and provide over 6,000 children with take-home oral hygiene kits, ensuring continuity of care beyond the clinic.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center – Cincinnati, OH

The Access to Care Grant has made it possible to establish an in-house dental suite within the Cancer & Blood Diseases Institute, providing a safe, isolated environment for vulnerable pediatric patients to receive essential dental care.

University of Minnesota Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic – Minneapolis, MN

The Access to Care Grant has expanded access to preventive dental care for children with cleft and craniofacial conditions in rural Minnesota, helping families overcome barriers related to cost, transportation, and limited provider availability.

Your generosity keeps these programs thriving, delivering essential dental care to children who need it most – helping them grow up healthier and more confident, one smile at a time. Because of your support, three children’s lives have been transformed:

Alex’s Story

Eight-year-old Alex^* (name changed for privacy), a bright and curious child with autism, needed specialized dental care under sedation – but the journey to get it was anything but simple. With limited finances and a five-hour trip to the clinic, Alex’s family faced an overwhelming challenge.

Thanks to the dedication of the entire team at St. Bernard Dental Center, they were able to make it possible. Through virtual consultations and coordination with Alex’s primary care doctor, they gathered all the necessary documentation. On the day of surgery, the staff helped arrange transportation and housing, ensuring the family could focus on what mattered most – Alex’s care.

Because of this team effort, Alex received all the dental treatment needed safely and comfortably.

"Thank you to the dental surgery team for easing our nerves and for communicating with my non-verbal son in a way that he could understand – by using his favorite stuffed animal as a “patient”! Thank you for treating him with dignity, but most especially, love." - Mother of Alex^*

Alden’s Story

After months of sleepless nights and tearful worries, Amy’s relief came from an unexpected place: the United We Smile (UWS) clinic. It started when her baby boy, Alden, began teething unusually early. By four months, he had a mouth full of tiny teeth and a bundle of symptoms that left Amy exhausted and scared. Alden struggled to feed from the start. He rejected bottles, couldn’t latch well during breastfeeding, and suffered from severe acid reflux and colic. He cried constantly, his tiny body wracked with discomfort.

Amy tried everything: different bottles, dietary changes, switching formulas – nothing seemed to help. Her instincts told her something was wrong, but the pediatrician dismissed the possibility of a lip tie, a condition where the tissue under the lip restricts movement and makes feeding difficult.

Desperate for answers, she even sought help from the lactation consultants at the local hospital, but they couldn’t get him to latch either.

With each passing month, Alden wasn’t gaining enough weight. His grumpiness and discomfort only grew.

That’s when a home visitor suggested the United We Smile clinic.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I was willing to try anything,” Amy recalls. “From the moment I walked in, the warmth and kindness of the staff wrapped around me like a hug. It felt like I had finally found people who cared as much as I did about figuring this out.”

The team at UWS took a thorough look at Alden. It didn’t take long for them to see what had been missed before: a significant lip tie. They scheduled a simple, quick procedure for the very next day. As a mother, Amy was anxious but hopeful—clinging to the chance that this might be the answer.

The procedure was done in minutes. But what happened next felt like a small miracle. Mom went into United We Smile's lactation room and Alden immediately latched on for the very first time successfully.

The pure joy on his little face was immediate with his new ability to suckle. Alden latched onto a bottle for the first time without struggle. The relief on his little face was immediate. Amy cried tears of joy and later that night, for the first time in what felt like forever, she was able to breastfeed him without tears or frustration.

Within days, the colic and reflux were gone. Alden was happier, calmer—finally able to feed properly, he began gaining weight and reaching his milestones. The UWS team didn’t just stop there; they gave Amy educational materials, ensuring she knew how to support his ongoing development and what to watch for in the future.

“When I think about how different our life was just a few weeks ago, it brings me to tears,” Amy shares.

“United We Smile didn’t just help my baby – they helped our whole family. They gave us the gift of peace, of health, of a future where Alden can thrive.”

Ethan’s Story

Meet 16-year-old Ethan^* (name changed for privacy), a bright young teen from rural Minnesota who faced an uphill battle just to receive basic dental care. Ethan had dental anxiety, and access to dentists who are comfortable treating children with cleft and craniofacial differences is nearly nonexistent in his area. When he came to U of MN Craniofacial Clinic, the exam revealed caries on every single tooth – some beyond repair – despite his mother’s tireless efforts to find care.

Ethan’s mother tried multiple clinics, but the complexity of his condition meant he was repeatedly referred elsewhere. Even though they had state insurance, very few providers accepted it, and even fewer could treat someone with his specialized needs. On top of that, Ethan had other medical conditions that further strained the family’s limited resources.

Thanks to the Access to Care Grant, the U of MN Craniofacial Clinic team stepped in where others could not. Even though their clinic was out-of-network for Ethan’s insurance, the funding from the AAPD Foundation allowed them to provide Ethan the comprehensive dental care he urgently needed and deserved.

The AAPD Foundation recently awarded two Access to Care Grants in the Southeastern district, bringing vital dental care to children who need it most.

Ethne Health – Clarkston, GA

The Access to Care Grant has enabled Ethne to provide comprehensive, culturally sensitive oral healthcare – including fluoride treatments, preventive and restorative care, and education – to over 1,000 uninsured and underinsured children in Clarkston, Georgia.

Caridad Center – Boynton Beach, FL

The Access to Care Grant will help Caridad expand pediatric dental services by hiring additional staff, extending weekend hours, and providing free care to at least 450 children annually.

Thanks to you, children who might otherwise go without care are receiving the vital dental services they need to stay healthy and happy. Your impact has already changed the lives of two children in extraordinary ways:

Tamim’s Story

One story comes from a family who overcame tremendous barriers to seek dental care. In the middle of a packed clinic day, a mother named Roya quietly stepped through the doors with her two young children by her side. She came seeking help for her son, Tamim, who was wincing in pain from a severe toothache.

The family had never visited Ethne before, but they had heard from others in their community that Ethne was a place where they could find help. Desperate for relief, they walked more than five miles in the sweltering summer heat to reach our clinic. Roya first entered Ethne’s medical clinic, where our Interpretation Lead guided Roya and her children across the street to our dental clinic.

Although our dental team was already stretched thin, there was no hesitation. The moment they learned of the family’s journey and Tamim’s suffering, they made space. One of our dental assistants, who spoke Dari, the family’s language, comforted and reassured the family while the dentist quickly and gently extracted the infected tooth, finally easing Tamim’s pain.

As the family prepared to leave, the skies darkened, and rain began to fall. Our Interpretation Lead, remembering how far Roya and her children had walked, arranged a ride to get them home safely. Before leaving, Roya expressed her deep thanks, not just for the dental care, but for how her family had been welcomed and treated with kindness, respect, and dignity.

AF’s Story

In March 2025, A.F., a 16-year-old girl from Afghanistan who had been in the U.S. for just 2–3 years, walked into Ethne Dental Clinic with her father about an hour before closing. It was her very first dental visit, and although she was a bit nervous, the severe pain in her upper right molar had left her sleepless and forced her to miss school. She was eager for relief, and her father brought her in to Ethne Health hoping they could help that day.

Upon examination, the team at Ethne found her tooth was too damaged by decay to save with a root canal. Though they are normally hesitant to extract teeth in young patients, there were no other options. The dental team at Ethne carefully anesthetized her and completed the extraction without complications. A.F. handled it with remarkable bravery and composure, considering it was her first dental experience ever. The team at Ethne invited her back for a comprehensive exam and cleaning to continue her care.

It was incredibly rewarding to help such a courageous young girl in tremendous pain. The Access to Care Grant makes it possible for Ethne to treat walk-in patients like A.F., accept Medicaid, and provide essential dental care to children who otherwise would struggle to find treatment.

The AAPD Foundation recently awarded four Access to Care Grants in the Southwestern district, bringing vital dental care to children who need it most.

Health Ministries Clinic – Newton, KS

The Access to Care Grant will enable Health Ministries Dental Clinic to expand and relocate, dramatically reducing wait times for new Medicaid patients and increasing routine hygiene appointment availability.

CommuniCare – San Antonio, TX

The Access to Care Grant will help CommuniCare continue providing specialized pediatric dental care to underserved children by funding a portion of the pediatric dentist’s salary and benefits.

Variety Care and Variety Care Foundation – Oklahoma City, OK

The Access to Care Grant will enable Variety Care to establish an in-clinic sedation program so children with special oral health needs can safely receive dental treatment within the clinic setting.

The Denver Health Foundation
(Evie Dennis School-Based Health Center) – Denver, CO

The Access to Care Grant will support Denver Health’s School-Based Oral Health Program by funding a Dental Patient Navigator to connect low-income students with needed dental care and related resources.

Your commitment makes it possible for us to continue providing essential dental care to children in need, giving them the gift of health – and hope – one smile at a time. For two children especially, your kindness has made all the difference:

Lily’s Story

Lily used to hate going to the dentist. At her first visit, she was so frightened she wouldn’t sit in the chair or even open her mouth. Her dentist eventually referred her to a pediatric specialist, but in the San Antonio area, very few pediatric dentists accept Medicaid – and those who do often have year-long waitlists. Lily’s mom knew her daughter had several cavities and couldn’t wait that long for care.

When Lily finally came to CommuniCare, she was hesitant, but her mom was wonderfully supportive and encouraging. With her mom’s help, Lily managed to sit in the chair and let the dentist take a look. She had severe decay and a few teeth that needed to be extracted. Lily was very inquisitive, so her dentist explained each step as they went, and she agreed to let them try. She left that first appointment proudly clutching her goodie bag, skipping down the hallway.

At her next visit, Lily was nervous again – this time because her treatment was starting. But with careful explanations and reassurance, she stayed calm and cooperative, and the team at CommuniCare were able to complete several fillings. She left smiling. During her third visit, they performed her extractions. Lily’s mom was anxious, but Lily amazed them all – she did great and left laughing, excited to put her tooth under her pillow.

The team at CommuniCare completed all of Lily’s treatment, and now her mouth is free of pain and decay. Today, Lily loves coming to the dentist and even talks about becoming a dentist – or a veterinarian – when she grows up.

Denise’s Story

During the 2024–2025 school year, a student named Denise^* (name changed for privacy) at Evie Dennis Campus presented with a range of health concerns, including oral health, mental health, physical health, and personal hygiene challenges. Recognizing the complexity of Denise’s situation, the team at the Evie Dennis School-Based Health Center came together to provide comprehensive, coordinated care.

The oral health provider, psychiatrist, physician, behavioral health provider, and social work care coordinator each played a crucial role. By leveraging the collaborative and accessible structure of their shared workspace and procedural framework, the team was able to communicate efficiently, share insights, and align their care strategies. This multidisciplinary approach ensured that no aspect of Denise’s well-being was overlooked.

Over time, Denise’s health steadily improved. Her oral health issues were treated, her mental and physical health stabilized, and she developed stronger personal hygiene habits through consistent support and education. Teachers observed a remarkable transformation — Denise became more engaged, confident, and academically successful.

Thanks to the dedication and collaboration of the Evie Dennis care team, Denise’s holistic needs were met, allowing them to flourish and graduate as a thriving young adult.

AltaMed Health Services Corp – Los Angeles, CA

The Access to Care Grant will enable AltaMed to expand its integrated care model and provide preventive dental screenings for approximately 1,920 underserved youth in Orange County.

St. John’s Well Child and Family Center – Los Angeles, CA

The Access to Care grant will help SJCH increase access to comprehensive dental care for 500 new unduplicated low-income children through 18 years of age in the Inland Empire.

University of Washington Center for Pediatric Dentistry – Seattle, WA

The Access to Care Grant will allow the CPD Dental Surgery Center to replace its aging dental delivery unit and essential handpieces, ensuring reliable and efficient care for pediatric patients.

Salt Lake Donated Dental Services – Salt Lake City, UT

The Access to Care Grant will enable SLDDS to provide safe, affordable sedation services and comprehensive dental treatment for up to 240 children over the grant period.

Your continued support keeps smiles healthy and futures bright, ensuring that every child in need receives the dental care they deserve. For two children, your generosity has been nothing short of life-changing.

Emilia’s Story

A 15-year-old girl, Emilia^* (name changed for privacy) came in for a routine dental cleaning.

She quietly sat in the chair, earbuds in, her eyes distant. Her mother followed, wearing a tired but hopeful smile.

As the dental assistant guided Emilia through her appointment, her mother lingered near the doorway, watching with the care only a mother can carry. When the dentist reviewed her chart, her mother asked to speak with someone privately.

In a quiet corner of the clinic, she gently shared her concern:

“I’m so grateful for this clinic. You don’t know what it means to have a place like this for families like ours. I brought my daughter in just for her teeth, but I’m more worried about her heart and mind. She’s not herself lately – withdrawn, sad. I don’t know how to reach her.”

She fought back tears as she continued:

“Teenagers get lost so easily. One wrong influence, one moment of pain, and it changes everything. I try to be strong for her, but it’s hard when you feel alone in it.”

The dental team didn’t hesitate. They gently explained the support available through the Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) team at St. John’s. Compassionately, they offered to connect her and Emilia with someone who could help – someone who would listen, guide, and support without judgment.

The mother seemed almost stunned. “Here? You do that here?”

A few minutes later, arrangements were made, and Emilia had an appointment scheduled with an IBH provider. There was no need to wait months or navigate complicated systems. The guidance she needed was already in the building.

Her mother exhaled deeply, gratefully.

“Thank you. I came here for her teeth, but I’m leaving with so much more. You may have just changed my daughter’s life... and mine too. Thank you for opening this kind of clinic –for families like ours, for kids like mine. I didn’t know where else to turn. But because we came here today, we finally have a direction.”

The team saw Emilia smile – just a little – as she left with her mom, their hands gently brushing.

At St. John’s, they treat more than teeth – they treat people. Because sometimes, a dental visit becomes the doorway to healing, hope, and a whole new path.

Grace’s Story

Heather and her daughter Grace moved to Utah from the South, only to find that their Medicaid benefits had been discontinued. Without coverage, they lost access to every medical and dental service they once relied on. Unable to qualify for Medicaid in Utah and unable to afford private insurance, Heather faced the painful reality of not being able to get her daughter the care she needed.

Grace’s teeth were broken and damaged, and she endured cruel bullying at school because of her appearance. She stopped smiling and laughing, afraid of being ridiculed or hurt again. For Heather, it was devastating to watch her daughter’s confidence disappear, knowing she couldn’t afford the costly dental treatment others demanded upfront.

Their situation changed when a counselor at Mountain Ridge Junior High referred them to Salt Lake Donated Dental Services (SLDDS). The clinic’s director welcomed them with compassion and created an affordable, step-by-step treatment plan. Under the care of the skilled and caring SLDDS dentists, Grace finally received the dental procedures she had long needed.

Today, Grace’s radiant smile has returned, and her confidence shines brighter than ever. Heather and Grace are deeply grateful to the doctors, staff, and generous donors whose kindness and support made this transformation possible.