Women in Dentistry - Blog

By: Women in Dentistry's Fall 2023 Issue

Crystal Spring grew up in a small town in Montana, U.S.A. on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. There, she saw how the lack of access to health care affected her younger brother who is intellectually disabled and 3 of her grandparents who passed away in long-term care facilities. With a heart for advocacy and her experience in oral health care, she started Smiles Across Montana.

As a dental hygienist, she works in public health in Health Promotion Disease Prevention and started a school-based clinic in her hometown. She noticed that children with decay were being referred for treatment, but some were not being seen. She started applying silver diamine fluoride and glass ionomer and saw how arresting decay prevented pain and surgery. Crystal said, “These products worked miracles and inspired me to bring services to more.”

“I learned that I could actually do something to change the oral health outcomes of communities through prevention. That’s when I started Smiles Across Montana to help more people.” Crystal and her dedicated team of dental hygienists and dentists are accomplishing that goal. Just this year, her non-profit organization has helped over 4000 people using fully equipped mobile clinics. The target population is vulnerable communities in rural and tribal lands. They have been able to sustain the program with grants, fundraising, a scholarship program for people who have difficulty paying for services, and billing Medicaid, government-funded health benefits for people with low income.

Smiles Across Montana is making a huge impact. Her organization provides oral health education, preventive strategies, and has a thorough referral program to dentists. They see each patient every 3 months to create continuity of care, trust, and healthy habits. She can see the positive health outcomes from her program. Children with dental pain are struggling in school. Her program is alleviating pain helping children have better health and a better future.

Besides prevention and improving access to dental care, Crystal is also passionate about medical-dental integration. “My long-term vision is to create a sustainable, equitable and consistent presence in vulnerable communities across my state and nation. We focus on medical-dental integration and educating people that oral health is overall health. We work closely with nursing students to teach them about oral disease, prevention and how to apply silver diamine fluoride.” Having more health care professionals promoting prevention is decreasing oral disease.

To find out more and to make a donation to Smiles Across Montana, check out smilesacrossmontana.com

Congratulations, Crystal, on improving oral health outcomes with Smiles Across Montana.