How one dentist and a multitude of volunteers built Cleveland’s biggest day of smiles

This story is part of a series on the challenges and solutions related to oral health in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. It is made possible with funding support from the Delta Dental Foundation.

Dr. Rebecca Robbins, a Cleveland pediatric dentist, wanted to reach children who weren’t making it into a dental office.

“My director always instilled that as pediatric dentists, even if we’re in private practice, community service should be one of the foundations of our career,” Robbins says. “I wanted to do something to help.”

An online search led her to TeamSmile, a national nonprofit that partners with professional sports organizations to provide free dental care to children in stadiums and arenas across the country.

More than a decade later, Robbins has helped turn Cleveland into one of TeamSmile’s standout programs.

She recruits volunteer dentists, hygienists and dental assistants, builds relationships with community organizations, and has created a culture that keeps volunteers coming back year after year. 

“Cleveland is one of our really strong events because we have a partnership with our lead dentist, Dr. Rebecca Robbins,” says Kami Thomas, TeamSmile’s senior director of programming. “She’s really the spirit behind the Cleveland program because she talks to her colleagues. She gets 25 dentists coming, and that is actually more than we typically have at a program. She really brings out her colleagues and gets the word out.”

This year’s event on July 17 was TeamSmile’s 11th in Cleveland, with a two-year pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. Volunteer dental professionals have provided more than $1 million in free dental care through the Cleveland program. It was held at Huntington Bank Field, the home stadium of the Cleveland Browns, with funding from the Delta Dental Foundation.

Filling a gap in care

Robbins’ efforts meet a larger challenge.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of U.S. children ages 6 to 9 have had cavities in their baby or permanent teeth, and nearly 17% have untreated tooth decay. Children living in high- and middle-poverty households are more than twice as likely to have untreated tooth decay as children in low-poverty households.

John McCarthy, TeamSmile’s executive director, says the nonprofit was built around a different way of thinking about children’s dental care.

“We’re throwing dental tailgate parties,” McCarthy says. “The idea in partnering with professional sports teams is to give these children an experience they’ll remember while taking the fear out of dentistry and making it fun.”

Children receive exams, cleanings, fillings and extractions in the same places where fans gather to cheer on their favorite teams. Music, mascots, cheerleaders, and former professional athletes help turn a dental appointment into something children look forward to rather than fear.

“All of a sudden it’s not so scary anymore,” McCarthy says. “All of a sudden it’s fun and exciting.”

Robbins quickly learned that bringing TeamSmile to Cleveland involved much more than finding a venue. The national organization provided the model. The local community had to bring it to life.

“I’ve always taken ownership of the event because I felt like if I had ownership of it, it would encourage other people to volunteer,” Robbins says. “It’s a much more homegrown type of charity within Cleveland, and that’s why we’ve always been successful.”

Built on volunteers

Many people work together to make TeamSmile happen.

This year, Robbins recruited more than 100 volunteers, including 28 dentists, 16 dental hygienists, dental assistants, dental students, and about 30 community volunteers. About half of the dentists have been coming back since TeamSmile first came to Cleveland.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland helps find children who need dental care. Staff collect permission forms from parents and bring the children to the stadium by bus. 

Each child receives an exam to determine what care is needed. Depending on the diagnosis, that may include X-rays, cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants, fillings, or extractions. Families leave with information about the care their child received and recommendations for follow-up treatment.

“We will have 14 treatment units where we will do fillings and extractions,” Thomas says. “We will have 18 hygiene units where we will do cleanings, sealants, and fluoride.”

The event also includes oral health education and a variety of fun activities.

“They can dance. We’ve got a DJ. They can get their face painted,” Thomas says. “We expect to have mascots there, cheerleaders there, and Cleveland Cavaliers alumni players typically stop by, so it’s a cool event.”

Robbins says the setting changes the experience.

“Being in the stadium is a unique opportunity and does not make it a normal day for us as dentists or as children seeing us,” she says. “That’s what brings excitement and helps the kids feel at ease with their dental treatment.”

Former NBA All-Star Campy Russell remembers what it was like to dread a trip to the dentist.

“When I look back on my experience with dentists, it was a terrifying experience,” says Russell, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ director of alumni relations. “You knew there was going to be pain.”

That memory is one reason he returns to TeamSmile each year. Walking through the stadium, Russell sees children laughing with mascots, dancing, and talking with athletes before sitting down in dental chairs.

“Being around the children and seeing how they handled those kids, it was almost like they didn’t know they were at the dentist’s office,” Russell says. “It made them comfortable.”

He believes that comfort can change how children think about dental care long after they leave the stadium.

“I think they all leave saying, ‘This wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be,'” he says. “It does not make them a Campy Russell who, for years, feared having to go to the dentist.”

Follow-up care

Changing that perception is one of TeamSmile’s goals, McCarthy says, but the organization also wants children to continue receiving dental care after the event ends.

Each child goes home with a report explaining the care they received and whether more care is needed. Families who do not have a regular dentist can join TeamSmile’s Dental Home Project, which helps them find a dentist they can visit in the future.

“If the parents say they don’t have a dentist and would like one, we help connect them with a dentist who will serve them for free or accept their Medicaid,” McCarthy says.

Since starting the program, TeamSmile has helped more than 7,000 children find a regular dentist.

Russell says having a healthy smile means more than healthy teeth. It can help children feel more confident and less afraid to visit the dentist.

“We participate because we feel like it’s part of our responsibility,” he says. “If we can help one child smile a little more or feel better about themselves, then we’ve done something good.”

Family involvement

The event has become a family tradition in the Robbins household.

Her husband, Vince Coley, a senior vice president at a software company with no connection to dentistry, has volunteered since the Cleveland program began. He coordinates the event’s general volunteers, helping keep the day running smoothly.

Their children have grown up with TeamSmile.

“It’s been great to show them as a mom what impact you can have by starting something,” Robbins says. “I never thought when we started this in Cleveland, back when they were little, that we would still be going and even be bigger than before.”

Emily Coley, a ninth grader, and Brennan Coley, a high school senior, now lead the youth volunteers, recruiting 20 to 30 students from their schools each year to help with the event. 

Many participate to earn volunteer service hours, but Robbins hopes they leave with a greater appreciation for serving others.

The commitment extends to her dental practice as well. Robbins says her office manager, Stacy Tay, has volunteered alongside her since the Cleveland event began, helping provide the continuity that keeps the program running year after year.

“She has been an integral part from the beginning. She’s volunteered her time to help manage everything since 2014,” Robbins says.

That sense of ownership extends well beyond her family. Many of the dentists, hygienists, and community volunteers have returned year after year, creating a team that continues to grow.

“They see the impact they’re making immediately,” Robbins says. “When they leave, they know they helped a child who may not have received dental care otherwise. I think that’s what brings people back year after year.”

McCarthy says that volunteer commitment allows TeamSmile to move from a national idea into a local success story. The organization provides the framework, while dentists, sports teams, and community partners adapt it to meet the needs of their own communities.

“We see these children dancing with mascots. We see them interacting with athletes. We see them smiling after they’ve been to the dentist,” McCarthy says. “It’s easy to forget where they came from that morning or where they’re going home that night.”

Photos by Bob Perkoski, an award-winning Cleveland photographer.