Kool Smiles

After the Surgeon General released the findings that oral care is the top unmet need of American children, Kool Smiles opened its first office in Decatur, Georgia, to provide dental care for the underserved children of Dekalb County. In its first year of operation, Kool Smiles Decatur treated over 10,000 children, many of whom had never received dental care.

Since over 50 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 9 have at least one cavity or filling and 78 percent of 17-year-olds, Kool Smiles works with local schools, community agencies, doctors, social service agencies, and daycare centers to provide awareness and assure access so that that the oral healthcare requirements of children are met. In order to foster awareness in the local community, Kool Smiles offers free Oral Health Education and Dental Screenings while also sponsoring local events and volunteering for them.

Kool Smiles provides children and, in most offices, adults with preventative care, diagnostic imaging, and restorative care, including endodontics (root canals). With electronic health records and digital radiography, Kool Smiles is dedicated to providing the highest level of dental care for its patients. Kool Smiles also believes in the paramount importance of communication, both between dentists and patients and dentists and parents. Visits to Kool Smiles start in its large, bright waiting rooms, complete with children’s play areas and activity centers, where kids can climb, slide, and explore while they wait to receive dental care. For parents, Kool Smiles provides reading materials, comfortable seating, and access to local phone service. At Kool Smiles offices, many Dentists and Patient Service Representatives are multilingual and, in the event a patient speaks a language unknown by the staff, free translations services are provided.



Kool Smiles: Louisville, Kentucky

Kool Smiles recently opened a new location in Louisville, Kentucky, and to commemorate the occasion, held a press conference for dentists to convene with state and local officials in order to discuss the state of children’s oral health in the area. Attendees included Representative Tom Burch, Senator Dan Seum, Senator Julie Denton, and David Algood from AmeriHealth Mercy Health Plan. Kool Smiles was founded with the intention of combating the poor dental hygiene plaguing American children today. Many children simply do not have access to adequate health care, making tooth decay one of the leading problems among American youth. At the conference, Senator Julie Denton expressed her gratitude to Kool Smiles for our efforts and the effect that the opening of our Louisville office is bound to have on the area. Kentuky’s Dental Medicaid Director Dr. William K. Rich also expressed his appreciation of organizations like Kool Smiles that are making strides to help underserved communities and provide children with the care and education needed to maintain a healthy mouth throughout their lives. After the press conference, Kool Smiles invited friends and family to a community fair where the office offered free oral screenings, consultations, and goodie bags with oral health tools and tips. The fair also provided drinks, snacks, games, and prizes for all of those in attendance. Kool Smiles is excited to have made the next step toward addressing the oral health crisis facing the United States today. Already, the Louisville office is working to partner with local schools, day care centers, and social service agencies, making quality dental care as accessible as possible to those in the community.