When Dr. Michael “Mike” Kretchmer ’02 (MS) came to the UNC Adams School of Dentistry to pursue a master’s degree in periodontology, he was stretched thin financially. Having just graduated from dental school at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Kretchmer was deferring his existing student loans while taking out additional ones to pay for Carolina. At one point, he approached his program director, the late Dr. Ray Williams, and told him plainly he was out of money.

Williams gave Kretchmer simple advice: Get a job. For a dental resident, however, getting a job outside their institution — commonly known as moonlighting — wasn’t always permitted, let alone encouraged. With Williams’ permission, Kretchmer found work whenever his residency schedule allowed. On Saturdays, he’d work as a general dentist and serve as a dental hygienist throughout the week. The work kept him afloat.

Nearly 25 years later, Kretchmer and his business partner, Dr. Michael, “Mike” Stella ’06,’10 (DDS),’13 (MS), have come full circle. Together, through their practice, Tar Heel Periodontics and Implant Dentistry, they have endowed a fellowship at the dental school to help support the next generation of periodontal residents.

“It’s an opportunity at this point in my career to give back, not just time, but financially as well, and I’m delighted to do so,” said Kretchmer. “If I can make somebody’s life a little bit easier by financially contributing, then I want to.”

For Stella, giving back to the dental school means supporting a community he’s been a part of for almost 20 years. Stella earned his bachelor’s, doctor of dental surgery and master’s degrees all from Carolina, and he volunteered with dental school admissions for 10 years after. Both he and Kretchmer also serve as adjunct faculty at the dental school.

“One of the chief ways our practice continues to give back to the dental school that has helped us in our careers so well is in teaching in the residency,” said Stella. “I find it very invigorating in that these are sort of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed residents who don’t really know a whole lot about what’s in store for them, and you can encourage them along the way.”

Between practicing at Tar Heel Periodontology and Implant Dentistry’s seven locations across the Triangle and being a dad to four young kids, Stella leads a very busy life. Funding a fellowship offered him a way to give back to a supportive community when his time is limited.

In the fall of 2024, one of Stella’s children suffered a burn incident that left him hospitalized at UNC Health for a few days. When Stella’s peers over at the dental school heard, they flooded him with texts and calls to check up on him. The dental school’s reaction, in part, inspired him to give back.

“I don’t even think of it as investing into the community on the front end,” said Stella. “For me, it feels more like giving back to a community that supported me all along.”

Through the endowed fellowship, Tar Heel Periodontics and Implant Dentistry will support periodontal residents at the UNC Adams School of Dentistry.