“Return a Smile to a Hero” — In Faces. Anatolii Tokar, Tokar Dental Clinic, Kyiv

Anatolii Tokar, owner of Tokar Dental Clinic, Straumann and 3Shape opinion leader, has been helping Ukrainian soldiers for several years.

Participation in the Dental Help UA project is a natural continuation of his long-term work and demonstrates his civic position. So far, five soldiers have completed the full treatment cycle at Tokar Dental Clinic, covering hygiene, therapy, cavity treatment, endodontics, periodontology, surgery, and implantology. Another twenty patients are currently in treatment.

Experience providing dental care to soldiers:

He first treated a soldier in 2017 at the Yavoriv training ground. Anatolii highlights that many people don’t know the harsh conditions soldiers face for oral hygiene — often almost impossible, especially in winter. Soldiers sometimes scrape ice to make water for tea or coffee, leaving toothbrushing a low priority. Poor hygiene is the main reason for tooth loss on the front lines.

Approach to treatment:

At Tokar Dental Clinic, treatment is comprehensive. Before joining Dental Help UA, soldiers already received care there. Beyond missing teeth, soldiers often have cavities, pulpitis, and other oral issues. Implants are placed only after addressing other dental “nuances,” and the project allowed the clinic to expand support in implantology.

Civic stance of the team:

The clinic staff provides free care for soldiers, motivated solely by the desire to help. ⠀ Saturdays and Sundays are dedicated to this initiative — “Smile Return Days.”

Treatment planning:

The clinic uses a “do everything at once” approach, providing maximum treatment in minimal visits. Many patients travel from other cities or abroad, so care is delivered intensively in 1–2 days to ensure soldiers can chew comfortably and avoid problems on the front. Anatolii emphasizes that painful teeth should not just be extracted, as often happens in field hospitals.

Creative solutions during war:

Despite challenges in the first three months of the war, the team organized an extra Congress for the Ukrainian dental community and a charity auction. Instead of raising 200,000 UAH, they collected nearly half a million to buy a comfortable bus for soldiers.

Volunteering:

Anatolii avoids the term “volunteerism” — helping soldiers is a duty of every conscious Ukrainian. Part of his dental training revenue is fully directed to the Armed Forces.

About the project:

The “Return a Smile to a Hero” project carefully verifies participants. Only real soldiers in urgent need of treatment are admitted. Post-war, the clinic aims to provide even broader care at a larger scale.