AUDA at Utah Dental Association Convention

Blast from the past, but this is one of our favorite events that we participate in! Coming to UDA Convention is such a blessing and a great way to meet those in our local dental community! This was from Convention 2019 in April.

Our thoughts are also with those dental students who are experiencing match day today! What an exciting chance for students to find out if and where they match for residency programs after dental school.

Healthy Teeth for Healthy Kids

The following ideas were gathered by a dental spouse and friend to our Alliance community, Carly Bitner. Thank you for your great ideas -- we just had to share!

Ways to help your kids enjoy brushing:

Have 4 Minutes of Fun
Don't just set a timer and supervise; make brushing twice a day for two minutes an event! Crank up your child's favorite song and have a two-minute dance party. Videos or brushing apps may also make that time fly by (younger brushers might like these). Try reading a two-minute story using all your best voices. Whatever you do, get creative and switch things up so brushing time is always a good time.


Start a Routine and Stick to it
You may be tempted to let your child skip brushing after a long day or during times when your normal schedule is off (like vacation), but keep at it. The more second-nature brushing becomes, the easier it will be to make sure your child is brushing twice a day for two minutes.


Reward Good Brushing Behavior
What motivates your child? If it's stickers, make a reward chart and let him/her add one every time he/she brushes. If he's a reader, let him pick out the bedtime story. Maybe it's as simple as asking to see that healthy smile, saying, "I'm so proud of you," and following up with a huge high five.


Characters Count
Who is the character your child can't get enough of? Many children's shows and books, including Sesame Street, have stories about brushing. Watch and read them together, so when it's time to brush you can use that character as a good example.


Make Up a Story
Haven't found a story or character to inspire your child? Make up your own. Your child just might be the only superhero who can brush away the bad guys that cause cavities.


Go Shopping
Let your child pick out his own toothbrush and toothpaste. (We recommend ones with the ADA Seal of Acceptance.) Choosing a character toothbrush might make brushing more fun, and fluoride toothpastes come in a variety of flavors and colors.


Make Brushing a Family Affair
Your children learn from you, so set a good example. The family that brushes together has even more reason to smile.

AADA Convention in San Francisco

Our Utah Alliance President, Janette Sonnenberg, attended the national Alliance Convention in San Francisco this month. Here's what she had to say about all the fun!

Many ADA dignataries attended the ADPAC breakfast such as Michael Graham, Senior VP of Government and Public Affairs, Sarah Milligan Director of ADPAC, Dr. Jane Grover, Director of CAAP.  Tommy Harrison, ADPAC chair, gave a wonderful presentation to encourage membership in ADPAC…the “Voice of Dentistry’.  Susanne Espinosa of Wisconsin was named the new AADA President at the House of Delegates.  Stacia Chavez of Utah was voted into the AADA Leadership Council and we wish them congratulations.  It was nice to see our Alliance friends from across the country. Many thanks to Betty Cowley and Erin Aste for being delegates from Utah to the HOD.  Utah received two membership project awards!

Picnic and Bees Game Recap!

We did it! On Monday, July 15, we had a "double-hitter" Alliance activity. Dentists, students, and families came to Liberty Park in Salt Lake City where we enjoyed a picnic of J-Dawgs hot dogs and fixin's, an assortment of sides, and even dessert of baseball cupcakes and Creamies ice cream. Cassidy Hine, wife of 3rd-year UofU student Adam, said "Our whole family had a great time at the Alliance picnic! We loved networking with other dental school families and with more experienced dentists and their spouses." 

Alliance President, Janette Sonnenberg, welcomed us to the event, and Utah Dental Association president, Darren Chamberlain, spoke briefly as well. Children enjoyed games and playground equipment after the meal, and our weather cooperated wonderfully. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful support system for our dental community here in Utah! Families and students came from all over Utah, some driving quite the distance to join our event -- we are so glad to have met so many and to have seen many familiar faces as well! 

Following the picnic, we joined together for a "Bee"utiful evening at the Salt Lake Bees baseball game. Our crowd was again large in number, with new faces joining us at the game. Since we had a section for our Alliance group, we had a lot of fun sitting, dancing, and sharing laughs together. Crowds enjoyed the Super Hero night, and some of our group even got to participate on the field between innings, or interact with Bees mascot, Bumble. Our Bees even surprised us with a comeback to almost win the game, 11-12!

Thanks to all who participated -- through preparation, advertising, attending, etc.! To those who couldn't make it this time, we missed you! Your membership enriches us. Events like these support the whole dental family, thereby fulfilling one of our three-fold mission as an Alliance.

Let's Eat!

Take Me Out to the BALL GAME!

Activity Coming Up!

You've asked for it, we've got it! We are thrilled to announce an upcoming activity for our dental community. Join us for a free family picnic on Monday, July 15th at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. Then continue the fun at the Salt Lake Bees game by purchasing a $10 discounted ticket (regularly $30!) to join the Alliance in our group of seats as we watch the Bees take on the Sacramento River Cats. As an extra fun perk, that night is Super Hero night and there will be fireworks after the game! Come one, come all as we join together for wholesome family fun and as we welcome dentists and their loved ones from around the state of Utah!

Festivities begin at 5:30 PM at the Rice Terrace Pavilion in Liberty Park (700E 900 S Salt Lake City, UT), but please remember to RSVP by July 1st so we know how much food to provide. You can send your RSVP and any questions to Janette Sonnenberg at  (801) 580-0123 or at janettesonnenberg@gmail.com. Following the picnic, the game at the ballpark will begin at 7:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you there!

Dental Health Fair 2019

The morning of Friday, April 26th, Alliance members worked together with community members to put on a dental health fair for underprivileged school children. As part of the Utah Dental Convention, Alliance members and friends taught over 200 first grade students to "SMILE" at five different interactive stations. Following the stations, students enjoyed the presentation of the iconic dental health marionette show our Alliance members have been doing for years.

Students from James E. Moss Elementary joined us for last year's health fair, and were more than excited to be welcomed back. New to this year's festivities were first graders from Lincoln Elementary as well as dental assisting students from AmeriTech College, who helped demonstrate and participate at the five stations.

Elementary students were bused to the Salt Palace Center. Stacia Chavez, outgoing president of the Alliance, led the students through the Convention Center to our meeting room. "There were a lot of people who got huge smiles on their faces when we were leading the students through the Convention Center to the health fair," Chavez said.

The excitement didn't stop there, however. Upon return to the schools following the dental health fair, teachers of the students commented that the kids were interested with tons of questions about their teeth and things they had learned while at the fair. Melanie Roundy, Alliance member and co-organizer of the health fair, commented that the students learned about things that "we take for granted. They just had no idea. Many have been in refugee camps and what we teach them makes a big impact."

Students are sent home with a dental health kit that includes a toothbrush, floss, toothpaste, stickers, pencils, and various other educational materials about dental health.

The Alliance sends a HUGE thank you to Melanie Roundy and Becky Richards, our dental health education board members, for all of the preparation, arrangements, hours, etc. that they put in to make this health fair a success yet again!

"S" -- Shine at Brushing

Students learn to brush their teeth through the use of oversized teeth models.

Baylee, Melissa, and Betty get the students excited to brush their teeth!

With Betty Cowley's help, students get to take a look at what really is chomping inside those mouths.

Ready, Set, Brush -- indeed!

All hands on deck as Melissa Haws teaches about brushing teeth

For some of these students, this is an introduction to the "how to" of brushing.

Baylee, Melissa, and Betty work together to teach how to brush.

Teamwork is dreamwork.

Enthralled students!

Hands-on experience!

Baylee Haws sure knows how to wield that toothbrush!

"M" -- My Mouth is Important

Julie Thomson reads to her audience.

Checking her notes, Julie makes sure they cover it all.

Accurate books on dental health are a great teaching resource.

Dixie Poole helps the students identify and become familiar with their own teeth.

"I" -- I Fight Decay

Shawn Schouten uses a germ puppet to educate her group.

Students look on as Paula explains how teeth decay and how dentists help people have healthy mouths.

Paula Davis leading her group in the fight against tooth decay!

Shawn answers questions while dental assisting students look on in the back of the group.

Students were ready to learn and anxious to ask questions.

Fight tooth decay!

"L" -- Learn to Floss

Janette and a student show the crowd how pudding can be wiped off the surface of teeth (fingers) but will not come out from between the "teeth" until flossing occurs.

Sharon greets students as they rotate in to her station.

Janette Sonnenberg works one-on-one with a student to demonstrate the need to floss.

Sometimes, even dinosaur teeth need flossing!

Heidi Jones teaches how to hold floss.

Sharon Wiest shows students how to properly floss -- on a dinosaur puppet!

Now that's a big piece of floss! After this demonstration, students had a blast using oversized floss and tooth t-shirts on peers to practice getting clean down in between the teeth.

"E" -- Eat Healthy Foods

As we know, eating healthy foods goes a long way to keeping good oral hygiene. At this station, Teresa Theuer and Cathy Robinson taught students about the sugar content of various foods, and played a magnetic foods game to help the students learn to identify what foods are best.

Students loved all the games they got to play along with their learning!

Cathy helps the students identify healthy food choices.

Our goal is to help students become proficient at choosing good oral hygiene for themselves. Here, Teresa looks on to ensure these students understand what foods to choose.

Each group of students rotated around so as to see every station.

Is it healthy or unhealthy?

Teresa Theuer and Cathy Robinson teach the students about Eating Healthy Foods

Marionette Show and Closing

Stacia Chavez greets the students as they gather to review what they learned about "SMILE" at all five stations.

Shawn, Cathy, Paula, and Julie help Dr. FossilRock tell his story and remind us to "Brush, brush, brush, brush, brush your teeth!"

Paula and Sharon work together to tell the marionette story.

Shawn and Cathy delight the crowd with the show's musical adventure of dental health.

Cathy, Shawn, Julie, Paula, and Sharon are very practiced at the marionette show, as they've been working together for years teaching students across Utah about dental health.