Dr. Thiago Morelli Announced as Newest Board Member of Wake Smiles
The clinics join forces to extend compassionate, specialized care to patients across the Triangle ahead of Wake Smiles’ 25th anniversary year.
RALEIGH, NC, December 8, 2025 — Dr. Thiago Morelli, MS, DDS has been appointed as the newest Board Member of Wake Smiles, a non-profit dental organization dedicated to improving the lives of under-resourced adults in Wake County through improved oral health.
As NC Implants & Periodontics’ lead periodontist, Dr. Morelli has a proven track record in the fields of regenerative medicine, implant dentistry, genetics, and tissue engineering. This role on the board is a natural continuation of Dr. Morelli’s work with the non-profit, where he has already contributed several years of specialized periodontal care.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue expanding my work with Wake Smiles,” said Dr. Morelli. “The mission-driven work that they do for their patients is inspiring, and I’m thankful to be able to give back in this way. It’s always been my goal to provide the best dental care possible for my patients, and I’m proud to partner with Wakes Smiles to provide this level of specialized care for individuals across Wake County.”
Led by CEO Sommer Wisher, RDH, BS, Wake Smiles has been serving as the region’s leading provider of holistic, high-level dental care since 2001, with a mission of generating prevention, education, and restoration for uninsured patients. As a Partner in Care, NC Implants & Periodontics is aligned with the organization’s goal of stopping periodontal disease in its tracks, offering patient-centered care and education that prioritizes a whole-person approach.
Wisher is excited to usher in a new era for the organization. “This anniversary marks a huge milestone for us, and we’re so grateful to continue providing high-quality dental care to those who need and deserve it most,” said Wisher. “Welcoming Dr. Morelli to our Board of Directors was the natural next step after working together for years, and we can’t wait to amplify our community outreach as a result.”
Alongside his work at NC Implants & Periodontics, Dr. Morelli is also an adjunct professor and lecturer at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, where he and his wife, Dr. Julie Marchesan, recently published a groundbreaking study on sex-dependent inflammasome targeting for periodontitis prevention.
In his new role on the Wake Smiles Board, Dr. Morelli hopes to help continue the life-changing community work already being done at the clinic, and to provide much needed dental intervention care to those who may not have had access to these services otherwise.
To learn more about Wake Smiles’ work or ways to give back, please visit wakesmiles.org. To read more about our services, visit northcarolinaperio.com/services.
About North Carolina Implants and Periodontics
North Carolina Implants and Periodontics was established by Dr. Thiago Morelli in 2018 with a mission of providing high-quality, personalized oral care to patients in a friendly, safe, and comfortable environment. The practice provides advanced care to patients throughout the Triangle using state-of-the-art technology, with a focus on minimally invasive procedures. An adjunct professor at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Dentistry, Dr. Morelli is also an award-winning Diplomate of the American Academy of Periodontology and a Fellow of the International Team for Implantology.
About Wake Smiles
Wake Smiles is a nonprofit clinic dedicated to serving the thousands of uninsured adults in Wake County with little-to-no access to quality dental care. Founded by a team of compassionate dentists in 2001, Wake Smiles aims to provide access to comprehensive care which prevents and cures debilitating dental disease for uninsured adults living 250% under the federal poverty guidelines. Since its inception, Wakes Smiles services have been provided by volunteer dental professionals with a passion for giving back to their local community.