Colgate Building Smiles Tour: Free Dental Exam & Goodie Bag for Kids #buildingsmiles

"S" is for Smile. As parents, we all want our kids to be happy and healthy. Helping them to take good care of their teeth is an important step to bringing bright smiles to the little faces.

June is Oral Health Month. Being a leader in both the oral care industry and community outreach programs, Colgate has launched the Building Smiles Together Tour, a van tour making stops at Walmart stores across cities in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, South Carolin, and Texas! The van is staffed with dental professionals who will be offering free dental exams to children under 12, educating communities about good oral health care, as well as providing referrals to dentists in the area who can help with any issues that the professionals find.

I took my son to the Colgate Building Smiles Tour when it came to Dallas. The picture shows you what the van looks like. I was really impressed with the facilities inside the RV. It was a fully equipped, fully functional mobile dental office, including a comfortable waiting area with a TV set playing cartoons. The interior was filled with cute pictures and charts that appeal to kids. My son wasn't aware of the dental exam he was about to have when he first entered the van. He was completely fascinated by the inviting new environment and kept exploring things around.

The staff was very nice and friendly. I was a bit surprised that my son remained very cooperative throughout the exam. He was usually reluctant to open his month when his pediatrics tried to exam his throat. But this time, he climbed onto the chair himself, lay down and opened his mouth wide to let the dentist count how many teeth he had (That's what the dentist told him about the exam). The dentist looked through his teeth gently and kept assuring him that he had done a great job and that his teeth were super healthy. After the exam, she suggested me flossing his teeth daily, showed me the right way to do it, and patiently answered my other oral care questions. She further stressed the importance of having dental checkups every six months.

Before getting off the van, we were offered a nice goodie bag including free Colgate toothbrush designed for kids, a bunch of $1 off coupons for both kids' and adult toothpaste and toothbrushes, a fun brushing chart and postcard. You may read my story on Intersect for pictures and more details about our experience.

Wonder if the tour will be coming to your local Walmart? Check out the van schedule and learn more about the tour here. Plus, you could win 1 of 4 gift cards by participating in the #BuildingSmiles Twitter Party on June 16th at 9:00pm EDT. RSVP here to be eligible for the prize drawing.

Disclosure: This post has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for #CollectiveBias. All views and opinions are my own.