Starting at an early age, children need to be taught that their mouths are important and what they are used for. Important actions like eating, smiling and talking all require healthy mouths and not taking care of your mouth can really affect you. To be able to eat the foods you like, smile and talk is all dependent upon good oral care and the earlier you instill that in children, the more likely they are to adopt lifelong healthy oral habits. Dr. Kathi Williams, Director of Family and Community Health at EdVenture, is the one who oversees the event each year and works with the Junior League to make it happen. “Take Heart & Smile is all about teaching children how dental health and heart health link to the health of the rest of your body. If you have a healthy mouth, that is the start to a healthy body and you can’t have one without the other,” Dr. Williams said.

“We see so many young children are having problems with cavities and other major repairs, at such a young age, so the oral health message isn’t getting out there. Despite its importance, oral health seems so simple that many parents may not realize the positive impact guarding their children’s baby teeth against injury can have. There is a lot of prevention that needs to be taught to the community,” Dr. Williams said.