Key Takeaways
- Dr. Smiles is Dr. Ammon Kaopua, a dentist in Washington state. On Instagram, as @drsmiles, he shares videos of free dental care for people going through hard times.
- As a dentist, he has helped about 20 people for free. As a creator, his videos have been viewed about 10.7 million times.
- The project has raised an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 from donors. Most of it goes straight to the people in the videos.
- His story shows what happens when a professional's skill meets a creator's reach. The big question now is who follows him.
Dr. Smiles by the Numbers
| Number | What it means |
|---|---|
| More than 125,000 | Instagram followers |
| About 10.7 million | Views on his first eight videos |
| About 20 | People helped so far, he estimates |
| About 30% | Share of that work shown on Instagram |
| $15,000 to $20,000 | Money raised so far, he estimates |
| 63.7 million | Americans who live in areas without enough dental care (KFF) |
Who Is Dr. Smiles on Instagram?
On July 9, a dentist posted his first Instagram video. It showed a man named Brian. The words on the screen explained the idea. The dentist would keep offering to fix people's teeth for free until someone said yes.
Three months later, the account, @drsmiles, has more than 125,000 followers. His eight videos have about 10.7 million views. One video from August 6 has 355,000 likes.
The dentist is Dr. Ammon Kaopua. He works in Washington state. He is a professional who became a creator almost overnight. And he is part of a much bigger shift.
Everyone Is Becoming a Creator, and Attention Is Money
Today, almost anyone with a phone can be a creator. In a 2023 Morning Consult survey, 57% of Gen Z said they would become an influencer if they had the chance. So did 41% of all U.S. adults.
That is because attention pays. In 2023, Goldman Sachs estimated the creator economy at about $250 billion. It said that could grow to nearly $480 billion by 2027. At the very top, the 50 highest-earning creators made a combined $1.02 billion in a year, according to Forbes.
Most creators use their attention to sell things. Kaopua is pointing his somewhere else. You won't even see his name in the videos.
"Neither my name nor my practice's name is prominently featured in the content, and that's intentional," he wrote in an email to WYDE Newsroom. "I'm not turning these stories into advertisements. I already have a career I love."
How Barbers Like VicBlends and Empowering Cuts Inspired a Dentist
Kaopua did not come up with the idea alone. For years, he watched barbers online. He followed VicBlends, Neat Martinez and Empowering Cuts.
These barbers are professionals who became creators, too. VicBlends has millions of followers. Josh Santiago of Empowering Cuts has given more than 10,000 free haircuts to people experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in 2024. While they cut, they listen to people's stories. Their videos show millions of people what one skill can do.
"I loved watching these barbers use their skills to connect with people, hear their stories, and genuinely change lives," Kaopua wrote.
Then he had an idea. Could he do the same thing as a dentist?
"One of the things I love most about being a dentist is having a skill set that can change someone's health, confidence, and sometimes even the way they see themselves, using my own two hands," he wrote.
The need is huge. About 63.7 million Americans live in places without enough dental care, according to federal data compiled by KFF. Those places would need 10,744 more dental providers to close the gap.
Can a Creator Help More People Than a Professional?
Here is what makes Dr. Smiles different. As a dentist, he has helped about 20 people for free. As a creator, his videos have been viewed about 10.7 million times.
A dental office can treat one patient at a time. A video can reach millions at once.
That reach has already turned into real help. The project has raised an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 from donors, Kaopua says. Most of it went straight to the people in the videos. Attention became money, and the money became help.
That does not mean the camera matters more than the dentist. Without the dental chair, there would be nothing real to film. The power comes from putting the two together. The professional brings the skill. The creator brings the reach. Together, the good work travels much farther than either could alone.
"What excites me about social media is the reach," Kaopua wrote. "Something that might otherwise impact one person at a time can reach thousands or millions."
Why Dr. Smiles Doesn't Film Most of His Free Dental Work
The videos show only a small part of what he does.
"I'd estimate we've shared about 30% of the charitable dentistry we've done," he wrote.
Some patients do not want to be on camera. Kaopua treats them anyway.
"I never want someone's access to care to depend on whether they're willing to be filmed," he wrote. "The videos share the message, but they're not the reason we do the work."
That rule matters. When creators help people, the people have to come before the views.
Who Pays for Dr. Smiles' Free Dental Care?
Free dental work still costs money. There are supplies. There is lab work. There is the dentist's time. And there is the cost of making the videos.
Kaopua says he pays for most of it himself. Sponsors have helped pay for some lab work and supplies. One of them is InstaRisa, a dental technology company. Kaopua calls it "a very generous lab sponsor" and says he has no direct affiliation with the company.
Donations help, but they mostly go to patients' other needs, like housing, food and transportation. "The vast majority of donated money goes directly to the people featured in the videos, not toward their dental treatment," he wrote. Part of the money came through a public GoFundMe page listed in Everett, Washington. When we first wrote about the account in October, it showed $5,587 from 107 donations. It has grown since. He wrote on the page: "None of this fund is intended as compensation for me."
Even so, the costs are bigger than the donations. "I'm still figuring out how to make the project sustainable," he wrote.
What Dr. Smiles Wants to Do Next
Many of the people Kaopua meets have bigger problems than a bad tooth. A new smile does not give someone a place to live.
"I don't want to fix someone's smile and send them back into the same circumstances without trying to do more," he wrote.
So he is looking for ways to work with social workers and local groups. The goal is to help patients find housing, jobs and other support.
He also wants to help people who are not homeless. "Plenty of people have jobs, families, and homes but are going through hard times and can't afford the treatment they need," he wrote.
That group is large. One in five U.S. adults ages 20 to 64 has at least one cavity that has not been treated, the CDC reports.
Will More Professionals Follow Dr. Smiles?
This is the big question. Barbers inspired a dentist. Who is next? A doctor? A mechanic? A teacher? A lawyer?
Kaopua hopes the answer is all of them. "My hope is that someone watching, whether they're a dentist, a barber, a mechanic, or anyone else, realizes they have something valuable to offer too," he wrote.
The tools are already in everyone's pocket. What it takes is a real skill, a phone and the right rules. Put people first. Never make help depend on being filmed. And find a way to pay for the work, which Kaopua is still figuring out.
This is the shift WYDE Newsroom covers: attention turning into real help. Kaopua says he cares more about that than about getting famous. "I'm much more interested in growing the impact than growing a personal brand," he wrote.
He does not know where the project goes next. But he plans to keep going.
"I don't know exactly what the future of this project looks like, but I know it's making a difference, and I genuinely love doing it," he wrote. "For now, that's enough reason to keep going."
If more professionals pick up their phones the way he did, the next wave of creators may not be selling anything. They may be fixing things.
People Also Ask
Who is Dr. Smiles on Instagram?
Dr. Smiles is Dr. Ammon Kaopua, a dentist in Washington state. He posts as @drsmiles. His videos show free dental care for people going through hard times. The account has more than 125,000 followers.
Does Dr. Smiles get paid for the dental work?
No. He says he pays for most of it himself. Sponsors, including the dental technology company InstaRisa, cover some lab costs. Most donations go to the people in the videos for things like housing and food.
How many people has Dr. Smiles helped?
About 20 so far, he estimates. Only about 30% of that work is on Instagram, because many patients do not want to be filmed.
How many people want to be creators?
In a 2023 Morning Consult survey, 57% of Gen Z and 41% of all U.S. adults said they would become an influencer if they had the chance.
Where can I get free or low-cost dental care?
Try a community health center. These centers get federal funding. They charge based on income and serve people who cannot pay. Many offer dental care. Find one near you with HRSA's Find a Health Center tool.
Sources: Email from Dr. Ammon Kaopua to WYDE Newsroom, October 10 and 19, 2026, Dr. Smiles on Instagram, August 6 video, GoFundMe, Linktree, Morning Consult, Goldman Sachs, WYDE Newsroom on the Forbes Top Creators list, The Philadelphia Inquirer, KFF, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HRSA Find a Health Center.