A group of children from Minneapolis, MN receive oral health instruction with education resources provided by America’s ToothFairy with support from Align Technology. As Title Sponsors of the HERO Program, Align helped America’s ToothFairy reach more than a million children and their caregivers with oral health education last year.
In underserved communities across the United States, many families don’t have enough information about what causes dental disease or how they can prevent tooth decay. America’s ToothFairy helps improve the lives of children by preventing dental disease through educational programs that encourage effective dental hygiene habits that can help families break the vicious cycle of poor oral health.
The nationwide nonprofit organization receives support for its Health Education Resources and Outreach (HERO) Program from Align Technology, a global medical device company with industry-leading innovative products, including the Invisalign system, iTero intraoral scanners and digital services, and exocad CAD/CAM software. 2022 marks the 14th year of Underwriter support from Align, whose Title Sponsorship of the program has helped America’s ToothFairy reach millions of kids.
“We started our fiscal year 2021 in the middle of the COVID shutdowns when many of our program members couldn’t see patients,” Jill Malmgren, Executive Director of America’s ToothFairy noted. “Oral health education has always been a main component of our mission, but the restrictions imposed by the pandemic made education that much more important to prevent decay. We had to get creative with our outreach efforts as did our members. We are exceedingly grateful for Align’s support, which helped us face these challenges to reach more kids.”
The organization estimates that at least 831,000 children and nearly 323,000 caregivers were reached through the program and by their program members between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.
“We are proud to support an organization that is helping families in underserved communities learn about oral health and the best ways to maintain a healthy smile,” said Julie Paulsen, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility at Align Technology and America’s ToothFairy Board Secretary. “We are delighted to sponsor the HERO Program and support the efforts of America’s ToothFairy, whose vision is closely tied to Align’s purpose – to transform smiles and change lives.”
In addition to providing printed educational materials to its program members, the HERO Program provides a variety of resources for dental professionals and community volunteers to engage their neighbors in learning about the importance of oral health:
A wide selection of free educational materials is available to download on their website, AmericasToothFairy.org.
218 ToothFairy 101 Community Education Kits were distributed in 2021 to organizations and individuals capable of reaching at least 250 children each year.
57 Protect Your Smile resource kits with printed materials were distributed with additional support from the Cleveland Smile Center, Pro2 Solutions, Patterson Dental, and Delta Dental of North Carolina.
Thousands of kids participated in the HERO Challenge, a virtual educational campaign sponsored by DentaQuest.
For information about how you can help children living in under-resourced communities have healthier smiles, visit AmericasToothFairy.org.
About Align Technology, Inc.
Align Technology designs and manufactures the Invisalign system, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, iTero® intraoral scanners and services, and exocad CAD/CAM software. These technology building blocks enable enhanced digital orthodontic and restorative workflows to improve patient outcomes and practice efficiencies for over 210 thousand doctor customers and is key to accessing Align’s 500 million consumer market opportunity worldwide.
Align has helped doctors treat over 11.6 million patients with the Invisalign system and is driving the evolution in digital dentistry through the Align Digital Platform, our integrated suite of unique, proprietary technologies and services delivered as a seamless, end-to-end solution for patients and consumers, orthodontists and GP dentists, and lab/partners.
Visit www.aligntech.com for more information.
For additional information about the Invisalign system or to find an Invisalign doctor in your area, please visit www.invisalign.com.
For additional information about the iTero digital scanning system, please visit www.itero.com.
For additional information about exocad dental CAD/CAM offerings and a list of exocad reseller partners, please visit www.exocad.com.
About America’s ToothFairy: National Children’s Oral Health Foundation
As a resource provider, America’s ToothFairy increases access to oral health care by supporting nonprofit clinics and community partners delivering education, prevention, and treatment services for underserved children. Since its inception in 2006, America’s ToothFairy has distributed more than $23 million in donated products, educational materials, and financial grants to improve oral health outcomes for children and youth in need.
For more information, visit AmericasToothFairy.org.
