Dr. Health E. Hound Visits Boys & Girls Club Alpena to Promote ‘Healthy Teeth, Healthy You’

What’s one of the first things you do before going to bed and when you wake up in the morning? Brushing your teeth of course!

Promoting a healthy smile, the Boys and Girls Club Alpena along with the United Healthcare Community Plan in Cheboygan welcomed Dr. Health E. Hound to the center.

This year’s campaign, ‘Healthy Teeth, Healthy You’ focuses on educating kids on the importance of brushing their teeth, and using Dr. Health E. Hound helps keep this interest of the youngsters.

“I always love when kids come and they have a lot of questions and are listening. When they ask questions you know that the message is getting through and they are actually thinking about how they are going to incorporate the tips throughout their day. Dr. Health e. Hound always helps with that engagement,” Community Relations of United Healthcare, Angela Stempky said.

The program that started back in 2016 attracts kids age’s six to nine.

“A lot of kids are afraid to go to the doctor, a lot of kids are afraid to go to the dentist. We try to make Dr. Health E. Hound a fun way to talk about these topics that might have a lot of fear associated with kids. A lot of kids love dogs so Dr. Health E. Hound is a way to get their attention and keep their attention,” she added.

Each child received a toothbrush and toothpaste from Dr. Health E. Hound.

“I was super excited,” 7-Year-Old, Olivia Hetrick said.

The kids don’t just walk away with toothbrushes, and toothpaste, they also have a chance to work to something even better after keeping track with brushing their teeth with a weekly pamphlet.

“After 7 days they can come back and they all get a pencil if they bring it back but they will also additionally get put into a raffle to win a bigger prize,” Stempky explained.

8 year–old Jordan Thompson seems to be ahead of the game.

“You should brush your teeth twice a day especially after candy and junk food,” Thompson said.