“Our story starts with Deamonte Driver,” says John McCarthy, executive director of TeamSmile. McCarthy is standing in front of a crowd wearing green TeamSmile volunteer shirts or scrubs. “Deamonte was a 12-year-old boy who died when the bacteria from an untreated tooth infection spread to his brain.”
As it has for many other people, the health care system failed Deamonte and his family.
Alyce Driver spent months trying to find a Medicaid dentist who could treat Deamonte’s brother DeShawn, who had six infected teeth. After calling more than 26 local providers who supposedly participated with her Medicaid program, she finally found a dentist to clean his teeth, take X-rays and refer him to an oral surgeon for a more comprehensive treatment plan.
But by the time Alyce was able to make an appointment with an oral surgeon who also accepted Medicaid, her coverage had lapsed.
Then Deamonte started complaining about tooth pain.
Alyce took him to the emergency department, where he was provided medication for his headache and tooth abscess. The root cause of the infection, however, wasn’t treated.
Two days later, Deamonte was diagnosed with meningitis. Eight weeks later, after prolonged hospital treatment, Deamonte died.
At the time of Deamonte’s death, fewer than 33% of Maryland’s dentists reportedly accepted Medicaid. What that means is that many low-income people and their children can’t access the dental treatment they need to live their healthiest lives, even if they’re Medicaid beneficiaries.
That same year, a Kansas City dentist, Dr. Bill Busch, heard Deamonte’s story and wanted to ensure this preventable tragedy would never be repeated. He also believed that by leveraging the power of sports, he could create a meaningful experience for children that would change their oral health trajectories.
TeamSmile was the result.
“We were created with the mission of facilitating partnerships between dental professionals, pro sports teams and dental organizations,” McCarthy says. “Our events provide life-changing dental care and oral health education to kids in communities who might not otherwise have access.”
 |
| TeamSmile Executive Director John McCarthy speaks to a group of volunteers. (Photo by Jen Anderson) |
Once McCarthy finishes his speech—which feels more like a pep rally than volunteer orientation—the gathered crowd disperses to their assigned stations before the school busses full of children arrive.
How an event works
A typical TeamSmile event starts well before the equipment is set up.
“When we’re selecting schools or other youth organizations to participate in TeamSmile, we look at the data,” says Dr. Kami Thomas, TeamSmile program director. “Our goal is to work within communities where children may be at high risk for dental disease, have limited access to oral health care or experience barriers to care based on the social determinants of health.”
Once TeamSmile has selected a partner organization, they rely on that organization to sign kids up for the event. Consent is managed well ahead of time—even down to whether children can have their photos taken.
“Parents and caregivers have really granular control over the type of care their child receives,” Thomas says. “Maybe they’re OK with filling a cavity but they don’t want a permanent tooth to be extracted. We work within their comfort level to provide as much dental care as possible to their children.”
The day of the event, children are bussed to the stadium (or arena, or practice hall, as the case may be), checked in, and given a TeamSmile T-shirt.
Then, they’re sent to a mouth rinse station, where they’re instructed to swish a medicated rinse for 30 seconds before they’re brought to the screening area, where volunteer providers peek inside children’s mouths to assess their oral health and determine what sort of care they might need, whether it’s an X-ray, a cleaning, a filling or even an extraction.
 |
| A little girl laughs as she gets her teeth cleaned. (Photo by Jen Anderson) |
While all this is happening, a DJ blasts popular music, players from the partner team, mascots and cheerleaders hang out with the kids, and educators play fun oral health games.
In 2024, TeamSmile hosted 25 dental care events throughout the country. The Delta Dental Foundation (DDF) supported five care events in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana in 2024, and the DDF’s current funding agreement will continue to support regional care events through 2026.
TeamSmile events are also made possible by volunteers, from the oral health professionals providing direct care to the people managing check-in, check out or even face painting. And everything, from setup to tear down, happens in two days.
But as the event winds down, the work continues.
“If a parent indicates their child doesn’t have a dentist, it’s my job to connect them to care,” says Erica Hill, TeamSmile’s dental home coordinator. “I make a lot of phone calls.”
She’s not kidding.
Hill, who has more than 13 years of experience working in oral health, helps coordinate potential dental homes for thousands of children across the country. This year, TeamSmile has provided care to more than 3,000 children, nearly 1,500 of whom indicated they needed a dental home. So far, Erica has managed to place nearly 1,400 children in 2024 alone.
 |
| Volunteer oral health professionals provide care to students. (Photo by Delta Dental Foundation) |
“My position allows me to be a bridge for children and families,” Hill says. She sees her role as one that connects them to a future of good oral health.
Finding these children a dentist who accepts Medicaid doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll always make their first appointment, but it’s a start. Since 2021, approximately 60% of children who were placed with a dentist confirmed their first appointments. TeamSmile recently started tracking confirmation of second appointments, too.
Tackling oral health challenges
These events can be meaningful for players, too.
DJ Reader, a defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions, recently collaborated with TeamSmile at a back-to-school screening event at Paul Robeson Malcolm X Academy in Detroit. His foundation, A Son Never Forgets, provided backpacks and pizza—always a winning combo—to about 350 children. At the same time, TeamSmile offered dental screenings to these kids, referring them to local dentists if they needed additional care.
“As an athlete, I know how essential it is to take care of your health, especially dental health, which sometimes gets overlooked when resources are limited,” says Reader.
 |
| From left to right: John McCarthy, DJ Reader, and Kami Thomas. (Photo by A Son Never Forgets) |
According to Reader, the partnership with TeamSmile is one way he can help kids understand the importance of dental care and show them that taking care of their teeth is a key part of their overall health and future success.
Reader is hyper aware that professional athletes have the power to change the trajectory of a child’s life.
“Seeing the kids in Detroit excited about their checkups and knowing they have people who care about them was incredibly meaningful. It’s about empowering them to take charge of their health and letting them know they have support, even in areas that might seem out of reach,” Reader says.
That support is critical.
At a TeamSmile event at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, where Reader played football before he joined the Lions, Bengals cheerleaders held the hands of a little boy braving two extractions. He was, as one might imagine, a little nervous. Still, they knelt beside him, offering words of encouragement.
Once the teeth were finally out, the cheerleaders leapt to their feet, cheering and flourishing their orange-and-black pom-poms. The boy smiled, gap-toothed, and cheered along with them.
 |
| Bengals cheerleaders celebrate a successful dental visit with a brave boy. (Photo by Angela Brewer) |
Soon after, he visited the face-painting station, where volunteers painted his face to look like—you guessed it—a tiger.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” he said later, offering two thumbs up.
To learn more about TeamSmile or to volunteer at an event near you, visit www.teamsmile.org.