SMILES Program

MELONY HARMON, RDH

Nominated by Glenda Bell, Program Director, Dental Health Arlington

Despite having been in the profession for 30 years, Melony has kept her passion for being a great pediatric hygienist and a tremendous advocate for underserved children. She has been an integral part of the Dental Health Arlington‘s SMILES team for over 8 years, providing much needed oral hygiene instruction, sealants, fluoride varnish, and toothbrushes to elementary school children in underserved communities in Arlington, Texas. Melony plays an essential role in creating and presenting their oral hygiene curriculum to students.

Older students have recently been added to the SMILES program as a pilot test, and Melony has been developing new ways to incorporate smokeless tobacco, e-cigarette usage, oral piercings, and orthodontic hygiene to the presentations.

n addition, Melony volunteers at numerous other events throughout the year such as Give Kids A Smile and public health fairs by offering her services as a hygienist or any other job that might be needed at the events.

During the pandemic, she made oral hygiene videos for the Dental Health Arlington website which were also made available as a link on Arlington ISD’s platform to continue educating children on the importance of oral hygiene since the SMILES team was not able to visit the schools in person.

In her nomination submission, Glenda said, “Despite our busy schedule, Melony takes the time to make each child feel special and unafraid of future trips to the dentist. Her patience and compassion for the children who are unsure about letting the team place sealants on their teeth is unparalleled. She can gently coax a child into letting her complete the procedure and make a lifelong friend in the process. Melony’s love for her profession and her desire to provide much needed preventive dental services in a compassionate manner is the reason she deserves to be recognized.”