For some Americans, basic access to dental care is a pipe dream—or a “nice-to-have” luxury that’s the first to go when the family budget is strained.
Crystal Spring knows this firsthand; she grew up on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana, and witnessed how a lack of access to healthcare affected her family and loved ones.
“A lot of times, people think it’s just ‘other people’ affected by these issues—but for me, these are my friends. My family,” affirmed Crystal. “Growing up, I witnessed how difficult it was for people in my community to travel to and access a dentist. My brother, being intellectually disabled, was constantly referred to pediatric offices. Three of my grandparents passed away in nursing facilities, and I saw that the staff wasn’t always equipped to provide the best possible care or preventative services.”
For Crystal, a dental hygienist who specializes in mobile and public health, it wasn’t enough to simply witness these hardships. She started her own mobile dental hygiene business, and later founded Smiles Across Montana (SAM), a non-profit mobile preventative dental organization, to provide crucial oral care and education. SAM uses mobile and tele-dental equipment to travel to schools, nursing homes, and more across the entire state of Montana, with a focus on rural and native lands. They offer preventive, diagnostic, and palliative oral healthcare, along with education, to patients, families, and communities. “I guess I was just crazy enough to believe I could do something,” she told our team.
That conviction, tenacity, and compassion is why we’re thrilled to announce that Crystal Spring, the Executive Director and Founder of Smiles Across Montana, will be joining Team onDiem as our Relationship Development Manager for Dental Hygiene.
We’re honored to gain Crystal’s invaluable expertise and passion for oral health, which aligns with our own mission to care for those who care.
“I've been a hygienist for 25 years, and I've worked for some great people. But I've never seen anyone offer anyone benefits. What I like about onDiem is that they're putting the hygienist, the dentist, the assistant—whoever is working for them—they're putting them first.”
While Crystal has collaborated with us on several projects over the years, we’re looking forward to working together in a more permanent capacity. With her help and incredible commitment to care, we hope to nurture and expand our relationships with the dental hygiene community, and continue to provide benefits that can’t be found elsewhere.
We can’t wait to see what good we can do together to address gaps in dental care, and to improve the livelihoods and capacity of our hygiene community.
