“Share a SMILE!” hat initiative helps fund free dental care through community collaboration

Mt. Pleasant dentist Dr. Raymond Ribitch DDS AACD of Mid Michigan Smiles has been able to give select patients free dental care for over a decade, but now he wants to do more. So, he created the “Share a SMILE!” initiative, benefiting patients with dental care—free of charge. 

By selling snapback baseball caps with the word “SMILE” embroidered on the front, Ribitch says all proceeds go towards covering lab costs and materials for patients who can’t afford the smile that they want. The hats come in 12 different colors.

Ribitch says his main goal with this initiative is to help improve patient’s mental health and confidence through esthetics—mentioning that “SMILE” on the hat stands for “Sharing Meaningful Improvements in Life Through Esthetics.” 

“We had a patient who really struggled with some of those mental health things,” Ribitch says. 

“She came to us simply because she wanted to fix her smile and her teeth, and now she’s back in the workforce and living a life that she hadn’t lived in the last decade.”

Ribitch said it is “unlike anything else” to witness the change that a new smile can bring. 

“You don’t know how far the impact reaches,” Ribitch says. “If I help you, I really don’t know how you’re going to take that, and then you interface with the world, and maybe you impact somebody, and they impact somebody. So, all of a sudden, my one impact has a ten-time approach.”

Ribitch says since the hats officially launched in September, the community response has been huge, but launching a nonprofit has been no small task.

“There’s definitely been a learning curve.” Ribitch said he owes a big thanks to his wife and initiative co-founder, Kristy. “I could not have gotten any of this done without her and her talents.” 

Ribitch says the positive response from the community has allowed him to start working on his newest patient in-need. 

“The first patient we’re treating is an 18 year old; just graduated from high school and he was born without 12 adult teeth,” Ribitch says. “The orthodontist referred him here, knowing what we can do. The orthodontist did all of the orthodontics for free. The surgeon did all of the implant surgery and everything for free. We’re doing all of the restorative dentistry and the cosmetics for free.”

Ribitch said local businesses have also offered to help. 

“Guys and Dolls Photography have offered to do head-and-shoulder photography for all the people that we help,” adds Ribitch. 

The community collaborations continue with the variety of hat colors. Ribitch says the latest drop is a maroon and gold hat with an image of a Central Michigan University professor and chair of the Department of Recreation, Parks & Leisure Services Administration, Tim Otteman, embroidered on the side. 

For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Ribitch says they launched two different pink and white hats named after community members who battled breast cancer. 

Other popular colors include navy and orange, blue and gold, green and white, blue and silver, and all black. 

Ribitch said hats can be purchased online for $40 each, with the option for delivery or pick-up at Mid Michigan Smiles. 

He also says new items are in the works and will be debuting soon.