Parents attend first Smiles X-Press informational session early Friday morning.
Beginning in February of this year, students at Heroes Elementary School in Santa Ana will be able to get their teeth cleaned on campus. Through our Smiles X-Press Teledentistry program, students that qualify for Denti-Cal – an extension of the Medi-Cal program for dental services – will receive full professional cleanings, x-rays, fluoride, and other preventative services in the convenience of their own classroom.
In the United States, over 51 million school hours are lost due to dental pain and a toothache is the number one reason for avoidable emergency room visits. With Smiles X-Press, children can receive much-needed dental services in their own classroom and miss less than an hour of instruction time.
“I am very excited about this opportunity for our students to receive much needed dental care in the comfort of a familiar classroom here at Heroes. We hope to show them there is no need to be afraid of the dentist,” said Rebecca Churnside, Principal of Heroes Elementary.
Heroes Elementary School will be the 18th school in Orange County to offer Smiles X-Press. Smiles X-Press also is available at three CHOC pediatric sites in Orange County.
To kick-off the program, Healthy Smiles invited teachers, parents, and students to informational sessions.
During the parent session, parents learned about how reducing sugar-sweetened beverages can help with preventing cavities. They also received free toothbrushes to take home.
Recently, Healthy Smiles educator Jazmin Ayala visited classrooms to teach children how to take care of their teeth, including important brushing and flossing tips. For some students, it was their first time learning about oral health.
“Prevention and education is a strong component of the program,” said Stephanie Rebollar, Associate Director of Teledentistry. “Before we start treating students it’s important for us to instruct them on what to expect at their appointment including introducing them to the Healthy Smiles dental team.”
Students at Heroes Elementary will continue receiving oral health education and their dental checkups every six months.
If you are a school administrator and are interested in bringing the Smiles X-Press program to your school, please contact Stephanie at 714-510-3837 x 244 or srebollar@healthysmilesoc.org.
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