To celebrate National Smile Month in June, Delta Dental of Minnesota is distributing more than 100 toothbrushes to every public library in the state of Minnesota.

Delta Dental of Minnesota is pleased to announce the opening of the Delta Dental Oral Health Center at Hennepin Healthcare. The oral health center – which occupies the fourth floor of the new six-story, 377,000 square-foot Hennepin Healthcare Clinic & Specialty Center – was made possible through a $4.6 million grant from the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation.

In 1867, Robert T. Freeman joined Harvard University’s newly opened School of Dentistry. Two years later, he and George Franklin Grant graduated, becoming the first officially trained African-American dentists in the U.S.

Since 2011, Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation has awarded over $1.4 million to Community Dental Care – a nonprofit organization which primarily serves the low-income population in their service areas of Saint Paul, Maplewood, Robbinsdale and Rochester.

Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation, in collaboration with the Minnesota Dental Foundation, has named Christopher Steffenson, D.D.S., and Michael Talberg, D.D.S. as the 2017 recipients of the Dedicated to Minnesota Dentists Loan Repayment for Service program, which brings dental professionals to rural Minnesota communities. Dr. Steffenson will practice in Walker, while Dr. Talberg will practice in Cook.The Dedicated to Minnesota Dentists program aims to improve access to care for underserved communities in rural Minnesota by reducing student loan debt in exchange for the dentist’s service in an underserved community. The average student loan debt of graduating dentists exceeds $250,000, which is a barrier to new dentists practicing in Greater Minnesota.

Since 2014, Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation has given $120,000 to HealthFinders Collaborative, a community health center that serves the low-income, underinsured and uninsured residents of Rice County, Minnesota.

Freeman was born to former slaves in 1846 in Washington, DC. At a young age, Freeman became an apprentice to local dentist Henry Bliss Noble. When he was old enough, Noble encouraged Freeman to apply to colleges to become a fully trained and certified dentist.

Each year, Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation grants millions of dollars to organizations and programs that help expand access to quality dental care across Minnesota. This goal is our driving mission.

Delta Dental of Minnesota is dedicated to keeping you healthy this holiday season! Did you know your oral health is a large component of your overall health? To keep your oral and overall health top of mind this Thanksgiving, Delta Dental of Minnesota has signed on as the Title Sponsor of the Minneapolis Turkey Day 5K.