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Each October, America’s ToothFairy celebrates the vital role dental hygienists play in helping people live healthier lives. During our My Smile Matters campaign—the official Dental Hygiene Month celebration of America’s ToothFairy—we recognize five outstanding dental hygienists who go above and beyond to improve access, education and oral health outcomes for underserved communities.
This year we received more nominations than ever before, highlighting hygienists across the country who are using their skills, compassion and leadership to make a difference far beyond the dental chair.
Choosing just five winners wasn’t easy. Our 2026 honorees are expanding access to preventive care, helping children with special healthcare needs feel safe, reaching families in underserved communities and creating programs that make healthier smiles possible for people who might otherwise go without care.
Omaha, Nebraska — Self-Nominated
For Marjean Stamm, public health has been a passion throughout her nearly 30-year career in dental hygiene. After witnessing severe tooth decay among children in rural Nebraska, she decided she needed to do more than recognize the problem—she wanted to change it.
In 2022, Marjean founded Trusted Tooth Fairy, a mobile dental service that brings preventive care and oral health education directly to children. Dressed as the Tooth Fairy and armed with puppets, stories and interactive activities, she makes learning about oral health fun while providing screenings, fluoride varnish, referrals and dental supplies.
Today, Trusted Tooth Fairy provides more than 1,000–1,200 child visits each year through Head Start programs, schools, community organizations and outreach events. As a Medicaid provider and Public Health Dental Hygienist, Marjean focuses much of her work on children and families who face barriers to traditional dental care.
Her impact extends beyond the children she serves directly. Marjean partners with a local dental hygiene program to give students hands-on public health experience, has provided continuing education about mobile dentistry and community-based care, and advocates for greater access to oral health services.
“At the end of the day, I do this for the children,” Marjean said. “I see the excitement on their faces, hear their questions, watch them learn, and know that even one positive dental experience can help shape how they view oral health for the rest of their lives.”
When she learned she had been selected as one of our 2026 Outstanding Dental Hygienists, Marjean told us, “I am incredibly honored to be selected. I truly appreciate the recognition.”
Tyler, Texas — Nominated by Katie Curbow
For Lisa Curbow, every child deserves to feel safe, heard and respected when receiving dental care—especially children whose needs may make a typical dental appointment difficult.
Throughout nearly 30 years of clinical practice, Lisa has developed a special ability to care for children with disabilities and complex healthcare needs. Her patience and willingness to adapt each appointment to the individual child have helped young patients who once struggled with dental visits build trust and confidence.
But Lisa’s influence reaches far beyond her own patients. As a national dental speaker and educator, she teaches other oral health professionals how to better care for children with special healthcare needs. Her goal is not simply to teach clinical techniques, but to help dental teams understand how to make every patient feel valued and secure.
Her nominator has witnessed parents and guardians express surprise and gratitude after appointments they never imagined could go so smoothly. Lisa continues to learn, teach and advocate for patients who too often struggle to find dental providers prepared to meet their needs.
“She believes every person should feel safe and comfortable to receive the oral health care they deserve,” Katie told us, “and she goes above and beyond to make that happen.”
Big Bear, California — Self-Nominated
When Stephanie De Leon opened her own dental hygiene clinic two years ago, she did it with a clear purpose: to make preventive dental care easier to access in her underserved mountain community.
Big Bear families may need to drive down the mountain for dental appointments, creating barriers that can mean missed work, missed school or delayed care. Stephanie designed her practice with those realities in mind.
As a one-person team, she manages every aspect of the clinic while providing individualized preventive care. Her office became only the second dental practice in Big Bear to accept Medi-Cal, helping expand options for families who might otherwise struggle to afford treatment.
Stephanie also offers evening and weekend appointments so parents do not have to choose between earning a paycheck, keeping their children in school and getting needed dental care. She particularly focuses on families who are uninsured, underinsured or enrolled in Medi-Cal.
“Being a dental hygienist is more than cleaning teeth to me,” Stephanie said. “It’s about educating children, building positive relationships with families, helping parents understand the importance of prevention, and making sure a child’s access to a healthy smile isn’t determined by their zip code or their family’s budget.”
By creating a practice around the real needs of families in her community, Stephanie is showing how one provider can make access to care more equitable.
Reno, Nevada — Self-Nominated
Kristin Gonzalez is helping ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have access to the preventive dental care they deserve.
As Clinical Director for Special Olympics Nevada’s Healthy Athletes Special Smiles program, Kristin stepped forward when the program needed state approval to continue providing dental screenings. She researched regulatory and infection-control requirements, developed extensive documentation and procedures, and helped demonstrate that the program could safely continue serving Special Olympics athletes.
Her work successfully preserved an important source of preventive care for people who often face significant barriers to traditional dental services.
Kristin also recognized that those barriers can be even greater in rural communities. She has traveled more than two hours from Reno to bring services to athletes who otherwise might have limited access to dental care.
Under her leadership, 80 Special Olympics athletes received comprehensive dental screenings with the support of 18 volunteers, including licensed dentists and dental students. Those students gained something valuable too: hands-on experience providing inclusive care and a better understanding of how dental professionals can help address health disparities.
Kristin brings those lessons into her work as a dental hygiene professor, helping prepare future dental professionals to treat every patient with dignity, compassion and respect.
Her leadership was also recognized with the Special Olympics Golisano Health Leadership Award, the organization’s highest honor for health partners advancing equal access to health, fitness and wellness for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Montclair, New Jersey — Nominated by Dr. Michal Herman and Dr. Nicole McGrath-Barnes
For 10 years, Monique Whyte has been a constant presence at KinderSmile Foundation, helping provide dental care and education to children and families in vulnerable and underserved New Jersey communities.
When KinderSmile opened its first Dental Home in Bloomfield in 2016, Monique was there. When the organization opened another Dental Home within a Boys & Girls Club in 2019, she stepped up again—helping with scheduling, hygiene care and coordination with community partners.
Dr. Nicole McGrath-Barnes describes Monique as “beyond a hygienist,” calling her a community ambassador to children and families in marginalized communities. Through KinderSmile’s school-based oral health programs, Monique visits schools to teach children about preventing oral disease while also providing preventive and diagnostic services.
Her dedication also extends far beyond her clinical responsibilities. Dr. McGrath-Barnes noted that Monique has donated some of her time every week for the past 10 years to help the organization administratively and has remained a remarkably consistent presence throughout KinderSmile’s growth.
Dr. Michal Herman shared equally compelling examples of what “above and beyond” looks like for Monique. She has spent additional hours helping with projects at KinderSmile’s Dental Homes, trained dental assistants on sterilization protocols, stayed up until the early morning entering information from off-site patients, come in on days off to organize supplies and used free moments between appointments to schedule additional schoolchildren so no child falls behind.
She is also known for immediately stepping in when a colleague is struggling with a patient—without needing to be asked.
Her commitment has earned her the nickname “mother of the Newark Dental Home,” a location she affectionately calls her baby. She was also recognized with a Community Pillar Award at the Dental Home’s re-ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Monique often says, “The greatest, most noble job is to serve others.”
Upon learning she had been selected for the award, Monique said, “This is an unexpected surprise. Thank you so much again for nominating me for this recognition. I am deeply honored and humbled by it. Your continued support means so much to me.”
With so many exceptional nominations this year, choosing only five winners was especially difficult. We are also proud to recognize eight hygienists whose leadership and service stood out for the ways they are improving access to oral health education and care in their communities.
New York — Nominated by Danica Curran
For more than a decade, Jessica has supported Give Kids A Smile events, Hispanic community outreach and other oral health initiatives. She also teaches dental students how to communicate compassionately with children and parents, helping future providers create more positive dental experiences.
Arizona — Nominated by Dora Pesqueda
Rosenberg has helped serve more than 2,486 children through TheSmileZone while contributing far beyond clinical care. He created a superhero-themed oral health booklet, supports outreach events and volunteers, and has successfully secured grants and donated supplies for the organization.
Nebraska — Nominated by Derek Snyder
As a Public Health Registered Dental Hygienist and Oral Health Coordinator, Claire helps bring preventive care to a nine-county rural area. During the 2025–2026 school year, her program provided more than 2,100 oral screenings for children through Head Start programs, preschools and elementary schools.
Texas — Nominated by Glenda Bell
Through Dental Health Arlington’s SMILES program, Holly serves children attending Title I schools and advocates for those who need urgent follow-up care. She also created oral health curriculum for grades 1–5 and helped improve systems for tracking consent and referrals.
Nominated by Natalie Noble
Peyton volunteers in kindergarten classrooms and organizes an annual Back-to-School Expo that connects more than 200 students with dental checks, oral care supplies and other community resources.
Florida — Nominated by Kristin Snyder, Erin Ruiz and Kelly Klair
Stefanie received multiple nominations recognizing her commitment to underserved children and families. In addition to providing preventive care and education, she trains community health workers, maternal nurses and doulas so they can better support the families they serve.
Missouri — Nominated by Sandy Thompson
Hilary provides care at a Medicaid-only children’s dental clinic and leads its school screening program. Each year she visits approximately 30–35 schools and screens around 3,000 students, helping identify needs and connect children with oral health resources.
West Virginia — Nominated by Velvet Urgo
Tiffany helped launch a mobile dental program in 2018 and continues to coordinate visits, treat patients and even drive the 40-foot mobile unit. The program has expanded into multiple counties and now reaches people in recovery centers, long-term care and other community settings.
Our 2026 Outstanding Dental Hygienists and honorable mentions show just how much difference one dental professional can make.
They are meeting children where they are, creating more inclusive dental experiences, expanding care into underserved communities, strengthening public health programs and helping other professionals become better advocates for the people they serve.
To every hygienist who was nominated this year: thank you. Your work matters, and the compassion you bring to your communities helps more people have the opportunity to live healthier lives with healthy smiles.
Congratulations to our 2026 Outstanding Dental Hygienists!
