Honest information about dental care in New Jersey, brought to you by the people who know it best.Access to dental care is shaped by workforce capacity, insurance design, and public health policy. These systems are complex and interconnected.

Our role is to provide clear, factual information that helps patients, communities, and decision-makers understand how dental access works — and what influences its stability.

We focus on public awareness, education, and informed dialogue.

Who is Behind The Smile?

A joint public education project, funded by an ADA grant.

We built this site because too many people in New Jersey are being told they have dental coverage, and then discovering it doesn’t work when they need it. If you have ever been surprised by a bill you thought was covered, called office after office only to hear “we’re not accepting that plan,” or put off care because you weren’t sure what it would cost, you are not alone. And it is not your fault.

The dental care system in New Jersey is complicated. How insurance works, how dental offices are staffed, how Medicaid coverage translates (or doesn’t) into actual appointments – these are things most people never learn until something goes wrong. We think you deserve to know before that happens.

Dental care is health care. Your mouth is connected to the rest of your body. Your smile is connected to your confidence, your job, your relationships, and your dignity. When the system fails, it fails all of those things at once. That is why this conversation matters.

What You’ll Find Here

Behind the Smiles is built around four things you can use today:

Everything on this site is free. Nothing is sponsored. Share anything you find useful with anyone who needs it.