Introducing Sharing Smiles; A Well Connected initiative encouraging happy healthy smiles!

A healthy smile is important for all children everywhere; sadly, many who live in deprived communities are more likely to experience tooth decay which requires extraction in hospital under general aesthetic. This costs the NHS a staggering £51million each year and is largely preventable.

Many children are starting school at 5 years old with decayed teeth, which impacts on all aspects of their daily activities;

-       they will experience pain, discomfort, and disturbed sleep,

-       they may require antibiotic medication and time away from school which effects their educational attainment,

-       they will be unable to eat healthy fruit and vegetables as it will be hard to bite and chew them, and;

-       they will feel sad, unhappy and embarrassed and generally less confident than their peers.

We believe there is a need for oral health promotion which is informative, interesting and accessible, encouraging conversations and discussions with children and their parents in our communities.

And so, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our latest oral health initiative called ‘Sharing Smiles’ which will help communities learn more about their teeth and the importance of happy and healthy smiles.

Sharing Smiles promotes oral health among children via specially curated boxes filled with fun, colourful and engaging resources including; jigsaw puzzles, dressing up sets, giant models of teeth and two-minute timers as well as storybooks, posters and an information and guidance resource; we have even recorded a video which shows how to use the resources effectively.

To ensure Sharing Smiles is promoted as widely as possible, we are asking Dental practices to get involved; they can buy a box for their children/families' clinics and/or sponsor a box for a local setting. We also want to send boxes to early years settings, starting in the South West, and are inviting regional businesses and organisations to sponsor a box, encouraging young children to look after their teeth. The cost of each box is only £350.

Sharing Smiles seeks to make a lasting impact on children's lives by encouraging positive oral hygiene routines and habits from an early age. The initiative addresses the importance of maintaining good oral health, as it plays such a crucial role in well-being and development.

Professor of Dentistry, Sally Hanks, University of Plymouth says;

“Sharing Smiles is such a great initiative and will enable early years settings to include important oral health messages in their daily activities and themes. The resources are bright, colourful and fun, the information pack is super helpful, with hints and tips which are easy to use. I am looking forward to seeing the project develop and expand, encouraging healthy and happy smiles for all children everywhere.”

Andrew Dean, Chief Executive at Well Connected says

"We believe that by making oral health education engaging and accessible, we can inspire a lifelong commitment to healthy habits”.

Read more about Sharing Smiles here. To inquire about purchase and sponsorship opportunities, please contact us.