About us

Our story

It Starts With A Smile Foundation began with Ben and Ashley, a married couple in the Bay Area. Ben is a dentist, and Ashley is a special education teacher.

For many disabled and neurodivergent people, dental care is more complicated than a routine office visit. Treatment may require sedation, an anesthesiologist, and a dentist with the experience and training to provide that care safely. Even when a problem is fixable, the cost can put treatment out of reach.

Ben saw this in his practice and Ashley saw it in the lives of students and families already navigating complex support needs. Again and again, the same thing: a serious dental problem that could be treated, and no way to afford the care that would fix it.

They created It Starts With A Smile Foundation to help remove those barriers. The goal is simple: when a serious dental problem can be treated, cost should not be the reason it goes untreated. The foundation currently serves the San Francisco Bay Area and hopes to expand across California as its network of dentists and supporters grows.

Leadership and Board

• Benjamin Geleris

  President and Board Member

• William Plaugher

  Secretary and Board Member

• Ashley Geleris-Barba

  Chief Executive Officer

• Mark Ibanez

  Treasurer and Board Member