KinderSmile Foundation’s documentary featured in film festival

A documentary produced by two dentists about the implications of a lack of access to dental health care is set to be shown during the Garden State Film Festival.

“Oral health is the gateway to total health and being,” said Dr. Michal Herman, DDS, chief operating officer of KinderSmile Foundation in Bloomfield.

Herman and Dr. Nicole Mc-Grath-Barnes co-produced “Toothache: The Painful Truth About Oral Health Care Inequity.”

The documentary has been selected to be in the 22nd Annual Garden State Film Festival in the “Homegrown” category. It will show at the Jersey Shore Arts Center Palaia Theatre in Asbury Park on Saturday, March 23 at noon.

“Toothache” exposes the gap in access to oral health care and outlines a roadmap of solutions for a healthier future for marginalized communities in New Jersey, bringing attention to the need for change, and advocating a call to action.

While producing the documentary, Herman and Mc-Grath-Barnes also created a roadmap for the state of what could be changed in order to expand access to care.

Mc-Grath-Barnes had the dream of creating the documentary and together she and Herman worked hand-in-hand. They often stayed up until 1 or 2 a.m. editing. The film runs slightly under an hour at 59 minutes.

“I still cry, even though I’ve seen it a hundred times,” said Herman. She continued to share the story of a 15-year-old who came to KinderSmile and had most teeth extracted by the age of 10.

“She was missing many teeth, including front teeth,” said Herman. “They [her family] didn’t have access to dental care when she was a child. Her teeth were in such bad shape. By the age of 10, it was already her permanent teeth, not baby teeth. She never smiled.”

KinderSmile ended up giving the teen dentures.

“She looks amazing,” said Herman. “We have so many stories. This person, I know, I changed her life. Her self-esteem, her confidence.”

KinderSmile Foundation was established in 2007, after the heartbreaking death of 12-year-old boy from Prince George’s County, MD, who died from a tooth infection that traveled to his brain.

Uninsured patients are welcome at KinderSmile. Some are even seen for free.

As a 501c(3) nonprofit organization, KinderSmile Foundation’s mission is to provide underserved children and families with access to comprehensive dental care and educate underserved children and their families on the importance of dental hygiene.

For optimal dental health care, Herman recommends brushing teeth twice a day, for two minutes each time. And visit the dentist twice a year.

She further explained that poor oral health can lead to gum disease which can lead to heart disease, dementia, cardiovascular disease, and even death.

KinderSmile has dental homes in Bloomfield, Newark, and Trenton. KinderSmile Foundation has community-based programs to improve access to oral health care for school children and perinatal mothers, and to provide mentorship and volunteer opportunities for students and dental professionals.

To learn more about KinderSmile visit: https://www.kindersmile.org/.

  bloomfield, KinderSmile