Welcome to Be Ready To Smile!
Be Ready To Smile is a web-based mobile app to help parents learn about the importance of their children’s first teeth. Parents learn how to work with their children to care for those important first teeth, using positive parenting strategies.
Be Ready To Smile was developed through a private/public collaboration among Influents Innovations, Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative, and Oregon Community Foundation.
Let’s make sure every child
is ready to smile!
The Be Ready To Smile program consists of ten sessions designed to support important oral health behaviors for families. In each of the sessions, parents learn effective skills to help their child be ready to smile.
Children Have Fun Learning
Children will have fun with the Be Ready To Smile app, learning how to care for their teeth. Children with better health are happier, and so are their parents.
Positive Parenting Tips
In each session, parents learn practical skills to teach their child how to care for their teeth in a positive way. The app includes demonstration videos that can be shown in parenting education classes.
Know Your Sugars
Sugars are in sodas, candy, juice, snacks, and even milk. Learn how much sugar is in popular foods, and the recommended daily maximum sugar intake for children and adults.
Be Ready To Smile!
Be Ready To Smile is available on any mobile device and helps parents have fun with their children while they practice oral health care together. Parents will also learn about sugars, science-based facts about fluoride, when a child should have their first visit to the dentist, and receive tools to help reach oral health goals one step at a time.
A Program for Parents to Teach Their
Children How to Care for Their Teeth
Our research shows the Be Ready To Smile app works for parents to improve children’s oral health, use positive parenting strategies, and help parents gain confidence, as well as improve attitudes towards the importance of brushing. Play, positive reinforcement, and brushing together as a family is effective!
Easy to Use
Be Ready To Smile is easy for parents to use, and they give the app high ratings, on average higher than 8 out of 10.
Improves Child Cooperation
Approximately 81% of parents reported an increase in cooperation from their child after using the Be Ready To Smile program.
Improves Knowledge, Confidence, and Attitudes Towards Brushing
In our research, parents showed significant improvement in their knowledge of oral health care, attitudes towards the importance of brushing with their children, and their intention to brush twice daily with their children. In our research, parents showed an increase in confidence.
What Be Ready To Smile Users Say!
Parents who used the Be Ready To Smile app said
“I really liked using the mobile app.”
“It’s nice to hear something positive for a change.”
“It makes it fun by having them brush my teeth too. I feel it will help with their ‘no,’ … I’m going to aim for 2 times a day now.”
“I enjoyed the break-down of the videos/sessions.”
Learn More About Be Ready To Smile
Be Ready To Smile was developed by a grant through the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). Contact us to learn more about Be Ready To Smile.