Healthy Smile Team

Healthy Smile Team Delivering oral health programmes in Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin

Congratulations to all the care homes that have successfully completed their Care to Smile follow ups, whether it’s the ...
26/09/2025

Congratulations to all the care homes that have successfully completed their Care to Smile follow ups, whether it’s the 6–8 week, 3–6 month, or annual quality assurance visit, your dedication to improving and maintaining residents oral health in line with NICE Guidance 48: Oral health for adults in care homes, is truly commendable.

Thank you for your continued commitment to making smiles brighter and healthier! 🦷 😃

Smiles all round to the following Care Homes:

6-8 week follow ups:
The Old Rectory Care Home (Shropshire)
Brooke House Residential Home (Shropshire)
Hartlands Care Home (Shropshire)
Birkdale Care Home (Telford & Wrekin)
The Villa Care Home (Telford & Wrekin)
Cottage Christian Nursing & Residential Home (Telford & Wrekin)
Deansfield Residential Home (Telford & Wrekin)

3–6-month QA’s:
New Milton Nursing Home (Stoke-on-Trent)

Annual QA’s:
Arden Grange Nursing and Residential Care Home (Shropshire)
Bower Grange Residential Home (Shropshire)
Isle Court Nursing Home (Shropshire)
Kingsley Cottage Care Home (Staffordshire)
The Willows Care Home (Staffordshire)

👏 We are proud to support Care Homes across Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin on their journey to providing safe, effective and personalised mouth care.

Charles, our Oral Health Improvement Practitioner, delivered a Care to Smile Lite Bite session to Staffordshire County C...
22/09/2025

Charles, our Oral Health Improvement Practitioner, delivered a Care to Smile Lite Bite session to Staffordshire County Council staff who support nursing and residential care homes. The session introduced the programme background, evidence-based foundations and practical steps for embedding oral health into everyday care within care home settings. It also covered oral health education, signposting to dental services, and how we can work together to improve outcomes for residents in nursing and residential care homes across Staffordshire.

We have bigger plans for Care to Smile in the future as the team expands, so watch this space as we continue to grow, collaborate, and champion oral health across Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

17/09/2025

We would like to say a huge welcome to Emma, our new oral health improvement practitioner team lead for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

Looking for fun, tooth friendly ways to celebrate your child’s birthday at school? 📚✨🎉 Why not swap the sugary sweets an...
15/09/2025

Looking for fun, tooth friendly ways to celebrate your child’s birthday at school? 📚✨🎉

Why not swap the sugary sweets and cakes for something extra special! Here are a few thoughtful ideas that keep the celebration healthy:

✏️ Non confectionery items like bubbles, pencils, stickers, or mini notebooks make great classroom treats which are fun and sugar free!

📖 Donate a book to the class or school library in honour of your child’s birthday. Add a note inside with their name and age, it’s a gift that keeps on giving.

🎨 Craft kits or colouring books can be a lovely way to share creativity with classmates.

🦸‍♀️ Dress up day! Children can wear a costume of their favourite book or film character to school which is a fun way to celebrate and spark imagination on birthdays.

11/09/2025

Urgent Pantry Appeal: Help Us Support Families This School Term

As children return to school, we’ve seen a sharp rise in families seeking support from our pantry. The financial pressure of buying uniforms, school supplies, packed lunches, and other essentials is leaving many parents struggling to make ends meet.

Our pantry is a lifeline but we can’t do it alone.

We urgently need donations to continue providing food and essential items to children and families in crisis. Every tin, packet, and pound donated helps us ensure that children go to school nourished and ready to learn, and that parents feel supported, not alone.

Please give what you can every donation helps us keep the pantry stocked and ensures families have access to the essentials they need.

To get in touch please call Alice on 01782 614838 or email info@alicecharity.org

09/09/2025
Thank you to Stoke-on-Trent Family Hubs and Stoke-on-Trent City Council for welcoming Emma and Kirsty from the Healthy S...
08/09/2025

Thank you to Stoke-on-Trent Family Hubs and Stoke-on-Trent City Council for welcoming Emma and Kirsty from the Healthy Smile Team to the opening of the new Blurton Family Hub last week.

We hosted one of our bottle swap events to help support the local community and it was lovely to meet all the staff and visitors.

We had lots of questions about what drinks are safe for babies and young children.

✅ Safe drinks for teeth
Breast milk or formula milk is the only food or drink babies need in the first 6 months of their life.

Plain water and milk are the only safe drinks for teeth. (Whole cow’s milk or semi skimmed can be given from 12 months old, ideally in a free flow or open cup, not a bottle).

❎ Drinks to AVOID
Squashes, flavoured milk, fruit juice and fizzy drinks are NOT suitable for babies and can cause tooth decay even when diluted.

Diet and reduced/low sugar drinks are not recommended for babies and young children under the age of 3.

Children under 5 should not drink rice milk because of the levels of arsenic they contain.

Children aged 4 years and under should not have slush ice drinks (slushies) as they contain too much glycerol.

Tea and coffee are not suitable for young children.

Go to https://familyhub.stoke.gov.uk/ for more information.

As children head back to school, it’s the perfect time to refresh healthy habits that support their learning and their s...
03/09/2025

As children head back to school, it’s the perfect time to refresh healthy habits that support their learning and their smiles.

Top Tips for Healthy Eating & Oral Health:

🥗 Pack tooth friendly lunches by swapping sugary and sticky snacks for veggie sticks, cheese, or whole fruits. For inspiration, see ‘A healthy balanced diet for children’ infographic from the Department for Education - a guide to nutritious choices.

🥛 Choose water or milk, these are the best drinks for teeth.

🦷 Brush twice a day with a family strength fluoride toothpaste, especially before bed.

💡 Did you know? Tooth decay is one of the most common reasons children miss school, but it is almost entirely preventable. Let’s make this term one of healthy smiles and confident learners! 👨‍👧‍👦

Back to School, Back to Brilliant Brushers! 📚🦷As the new term begins, children participating in our Brilliant Brushers s...
01/09/2025

Back to School, Back to Brilliant Brushers! 📚🦷

As the new term begins, children participating in our Brilliant Brushers supervised toothbrushing programme are returning to their supervised toothbrushing routines in day nursery & school settings across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, Staffordshire, and Stoke-on-Trent, building confidence, consistency, and lifelong oral health habits.

We are proud to continue supporting schools with tailored resources, training, and guidance to keep smiles bright and routines running smoothly.

If you would like to find our if your day nursery or school can take part in Brilliant Brushers, please get in touch.

29/08/2025
Are you getting ready to send you child to nursery or school next week?Have you considered what food and drink items to ...
29/08/2025

Are you getting ready to send you child to nursery or school next week?
Have you considered what food and drink items to put in their lunchbox? 🥪 🍇 🍅 🧀 🍓 🥒

If you’re packing a lunch box, as well as sandwiches, wraps, rice or pasta why not add healthy items such as -
• bite-sized fresh fruit or vegetables such as carrot sticks, cucumber and tomatoes
• blueberries, strawberries or halved grapes

Alongside items such as -
• hummus
• crumpets
• eggs
• plain yoghurt
• low-fat cheese
which are great tooth friendly alternatives too.

Remember plain water 💧 and plain milk 🥛 are the only tooth friendly drinks for children in between meals.

Click this link for some great ideas -
https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes/

What do you put in your child’s lunchbox? Let us know in the comments, leave us an emoji for your favourite if you can 😉

🦷 Is Your Child Grinding Their Teeth? Here's What You Should Know!It can be quite worrying to hear your child grinding t...
28/08/2025

🦷 Is Your Child Grinding Their Teeth? Here's What You Should Know!

It can be quite worrying to hear your child grinding their teeth, especially when it’s loud! 😬 But don’t worry, teeth grinding (also known as bruxism) is common in children and teenagers, particularly during sleep. It often stops when they reach adulthood.

👶 Why does it happen?
Children may grind their teeth for a variety of reasons; the most common reason is when new teeth come through. The good news is that in most cases, it’s not something that needs treatment and usually resolves on its own.
🛑 When do we treat it?
Usually teeth grinding is only treated later in life if it starts causing problems like tooth wear, jaw pain, or sleep disruption. For children and teenagers, it’s usually harmless.

💬 If you're ever unsure or concerned, reach out to your dentist for more advice.

Address

Dawley Dental Centre
Telford
TF43AL

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