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Every day, Brianna’s mother answers the call.
As a fire department captain, she helps protect her community in moments of crisis. She is trained to stay calm, take action, and care for people on some of their hardest days.
But when her 15-year-old daughter needed complex dental treatment, she faced an emergency of her own—and there was no 911 call that could make the cost disappear.
Brianna* was experiencing severe periodontal disease affecting several teeth. She needed a consultation with a periodontist, possible bone grafts or flexible partial dentures, restorative care, and preventive treatment to help protect her remaining teeth.
For a teenager, serious dental problems can affect far more than oral health. Pain, visible damage, and concerns about their smile can make it harder to feel comfortable around friends and participate confidently at school. Teens in Brianna’s situation may carry embarrassment, worry, or the urge to hide their smile at a stage of life when confidence matters so much.
Brianna’s mother does the best she can.
She’s raising five teenagers while serving her community as a first responder. But like many hardworking families, she does not have dental insurance. Even with determination, experience navigating emergencies, and a deep commitment to her children, the cost of Brianna’s care was more than she could manage alone.
KinderSmile Foundation had seen that love and determination before.
Brianna’s older sister had previously received in-kind dental care through KinderSmile Community Oral Health Center in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Staff members remembered Brianna’s mother returning with gratitude—greeting the team with hugs and appreciation for the care her daughter had received.
Now, Brianna needed help.
Our In the Gap Program helps children receive dental treatment when cost, lack of insurance, or other barriers leave families unable to afford essential dental care. Through an In the Gap grant, Brianna received treatment to protect her oral health and help preserve her confidence.
For her mother, the grant meant something deeply personal: someone had answered her call for help.
It was a reminder that even the people who protect and serve their communities sometimes need a hand when a child’s health is at stake.
No parent should have to watch their child live with pain, worry about their smile, or go without needed care because they cannot afford treatment. And no first responder should have to carry that burden alone after spending so much of her life responding to the needs of others.
Thanks to Solventum, who supported our In the Gap Program, Brianna received care that helps protect her smile, her health, and her future.
Help America’s ToothFairy answer the call for more children and families when dental care is out of reach. Donate to In the Gap here.
*Name has been changed to protect the patient's privacy.
