My name is Noah Avedikian. I’m 17 years old, and this is why I founded Smiles of Tomorrow.

When I was 15, I traveled to Armenia and visited orphanages where I met children who lacked access to something many of us rarely think twice about: basic dental care. I saw children struggling with poor oral hygiene, not because they didn’t care about their health, but because many simply did not have consistent access to toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, dental education, or preventive care.

That experience changed the way I viewed oral health. Growing up in the United States, I had always been fortunate enough to have dental supplies at home and access to professional dental care. I began to realize that these things I considered ordinary were not guaranteed for everyone. Where someone is born, where they live, or how much their family earns should not determine whether they can take care of their teeth.

And this problem is not limited to Armenia or other countries abroad. Dental health disparities exist right here in the United States. Low-income families, children, people experiencing homelessness, rural communities, and other underserved populations can face significant barriers to preventive dental care. The cost of treatment, limited access to providers, transportation difficulties, and even the inability to consistently afford basic hygiene products can allow preventable oral-health problems to become much more serious.

I wanted to understand where I could make the greatest difference. I surveyed local dentists about the needs they saw in underserved communities. Their responses helped me recognize an important gap: while professional dental treatment is essential, improving oral health also begins long before someone sits in a dentist’s chair. It starts with prevention, education, and access to basic supplies.

That realization became the foundation for Smiles of Tomorrow.

In the summer of 2026, I returned to Armenia as a volunteer with Med-Aid Armenia. I traveled to communities and clinics in villages outside Yerevan, where I was able to see firsthand how access to healthcare can change dramatically based on geography and resources. I also had the opportunity to educate children about preventive dental hygiene and help provide dental-care supplies to communities that needed them.

These experiences reinforced something I now strongly believe: a toothbrush is a small object, but access to one represents something much bigger. Preventive oral healthcare can protect a child from pain and infection, help build lifelong healthy habits, and give them the confidence to smile.

Today, my mission through Smiles of Tomorrow is to provide consistent access to dental hygiene supplies and education for underserved communities—starting with vulnerable populations in California and expanding our reach through meaningful partnerships in communities at home and abroad.

Smiles of Tomorrow is about more than distributing toothbrushes and toothpaste. It is about education, prevention, and creating sustainable access to oral health resources.

Because every child deserves the opportunity for a healthy smile—regardless of where they live or what they can afford.

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