BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jimmy Vonn, founder of 1st Impression Dental Aesthetics, has always surrounded himself around the dental field.

"My mother actually was in a dental field and I used to help her out with her cue cards and her vocab and everything like that," Vonn said. "And I also saw that it was a necessity. So I was always thinking, like, as long as they were humans on the planet, I will be able to basically have a job."

Vonn’s mother inspired him to continue an education in dentistry, launching his own business ‘1st Impression Dental Aesthetics.’ 

"Being a Black dental professional is very, very important to have the younger people see somebody like themselves work in this industry," Vonn said. "I feel like I'm doing a service that needs to be done rather than a job that you come in to clock in and out."

Brushing up on the importance of oral health, this year, Vonn has launched the ‘Smile Again Project,’ focusing on restoring smiles and confidence for individuals in the community.

"[The] Smile Again Project is made to be able to take care of people who can't afford it," Vonn said. "They can afford any type of dental work. You do go through some mental health, you know, it discourages you from getting jobs and discourages you from smiling and discourages you from interacting with people. So it just really made sense to be able to give back to the community."

Vonn’s goal is to reach underserved individuals in urban communities from ages 18 - 65, providing pro-bono dental services for individuals missing teeth, for clients like Carmelita Gary.

"I [don't have] many bottom teeth," Gary said. "The insurance wants me to wait three more years before they replace the partial, which I think is crazy. And I'm old. I don't have much time. I came down to see Jimmy Vonn. And I told them what my problem was as far as insurance. And he said he could work with me."

Seeing how keeping a white smile can be important, a healthy mouth can be an even greater asset.

"When you have your teeth, you feel good about yourself. Your smile comes out more," Gary said. "And, as you can see, the bottom part once my teeth are in there, then it lifts everything up and then I'm happy."

Restoring one’s confidence, a smile at a time.

To learn more about qualifying for dental services or supporting the project you can visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/1st-impression-dental-aesthetics.