Every year hundreds of dentists, dental practices and oral health educators from across the UK come together and take part in National Smile Month.

The events and involvement of those who organise something special for the campaign, no matter how big or small, is often tremendous and very successful for raising money, awareness and education of positive oral health.

So whether you have a whole month, a week, a day, an afternoon, an hour or just one minute, it’s more than enough time to get your practice involved, smiling, and doing something great for National Smile Month!

It’s a great chance to bring the team a little closer together, as well as giving you the opportunity to speak to your patients and get out into the community. Just remember what whatever you choose to do, have fun and make your colleagues and patients smile.

Simple ideas

Sometimes the easiest and straightforward ideas can be the best – especially when you realise you might not have much time to prepare. In fact, there are so many things you can do that don’t take too much time at all….

Smileathons

Get your hands on our Smiles on a Stick.  They are very cheap and great way to have a laugh and talk about oral health at the same time.

Work with local schools

Develop links with local teachers and schedule visits to your local schools and colleges.  Many schools include oral health in the curriculum and sessions scheduled for just before half-term are an ideal time for fun and interactive talks to children and students. 

Teachers working with children at key Stage One and Key Stage Two are especially useful to make contact with. Get them involved with toothbrushing demonstrations, drawing competitions, a quiz, or even get them to write their own smiley poems!

Take to the High Street

Some of the best National Smile Months events take place in shopping centres, public venues and on the high street. From health buses to simple exhibition stands, being out in the community is an excellent way to raise awareness of oral health.

Share Resources

Make your activities bigger and more effective by sharing resources.  Develop plans with other dental practices and health professionals, including health visitors, doctors, pharmacists and public health professionals.  Local Councils, including Parish Councils, can also be useful to help share your oral health messages.

Open Your Doors

A dental practice is a fascinating place with its many items of equipment and terminology. Why not give people an educational experience and show them how everything works with a series of Open Days?

Charity Raffle

Sell raffle tickets and give away lots of dentally-related prizes such as a brand new toothbrush or a free consultation.

Go Viral

Websites, Facebook, Twitter and texts are brilliant ways to share information and promote National Smile Month. Use them to host Question and Answer Sessions online, or ‘tweet’ helpful hints and tips throughout the campaign.  And don’t forget to follow the British Dental Health Foundation’s Twitter account at ‘smilemonth’.

Costume Day

Come into work in something unusual like a tooth fairy. It will get your patients talking and it is a great conversation starter for explaining what the campaign is. Likewise, your team can hit the streets in fancy dress to promote National Smile Month, as well as other events that you might be doing at your practice.

Don’t forget the Carers

Many people rely upon advice and guidance from carers for their oral health, especially the elderly. Make contact with local care homes and carers networks and you’ll make a huge difference to keeping oral health high on their priorities.

Venture into the Workplace

Many local employers are keen to support the staff with health prevention. Make contact with their human resource managers and they’ll often work with you to run internal education programmes, and help with funding too.

Displays

National Smile Month posters are a bright, eye-catching and informative way of brightening your dental practice, and would also be an effective means of promoting the campaign in hospitals, schools, colleges and community centres.

Fundraising

Collecting donations and organising sponsorship is a fantastic way of ensuring the Foundation keeps running. Please download a pack from www.smilemonth.org, or contact the Foundation’s Public Relations Department for further details.

Don’t forget your toothbrush!  A sponsored Brushathon and other teeth-brushing challenges are a fun way to follow a healthy dental routine. National Smile Month encourages everyone to brush their teeth for the recommended two minutes, twice a day.

Healthy food initiatives

Why not use National Smile Month to promote healthier eating?  Make suggestions on what makes a healthy school lunch box; allow people to sample sugar-free sweets and other products; and make suggestions for snacks like cheese and carrots to help care for teeth.

Our support

To support your activities there is an extensive range of National Smile Month products to help you communicate, motivate and educate.  You can choose from nearly 40 campaign products, including event and campaign packs, to make promoting your activities as easy as possible.

What next?

Okay, so you have an idea?! Head straight over to our Fundraising page to find out what your next steps should be!

Don’t forget to get in touch and order your free smileys! They are first-come, first-served!