How Innovation Can Support Prioritizing Early Oral Health Care

Pediatric dentist and entrepreneur Dr. Ashley Lerman joins little teeth, BIG Smiles to chat with Dr. Berg about her company First Grin and how its unique approach to teaching families about oral health care. Dr. Lerman shares how First Grin was born out of her experience right out of residency, working in a clinic, seeing dozens of high-risk patients a day who often had little-to-no prevention knowledge. She explains the original First Grin kit designed for expectant parents to set families up for success with the tools and knowledge needed for at-home preventive care. Dr. Lerman also delves into how First Grin is finding success partnering with payers and hospital networks to flag early oral health care as a priority issue amongst medical professionals outside of dentistry.

Guest Bio:

Dr. Ashley Lerman is a board-certified pediatric dentist, public health advocate, and founder of First Grin, a digital prevention platform that brings oral health into everyday family life. Through First Grin's app and educational kits, she helps families, payers and health systems connect dental care with overall wellness, starting in pregnancy and continuing through childhood and beyond for adults.

Dr. Lerman works with major payers, employers, and baby registry partners to make preventive oral health education more accessible at-scale. Her work focuses on building sustainable tech – enabled models that improve engagement, reduce stress, reduce disease, and make oral care easier for families to start early and stick with over time. She's also the voice behind @pediatricdentistmom, a popular social media platform reaching millions of parents for its relatable evidence-based guidance on children's oral health. Her approach blends clinical expertise with empathy, helping parents build healthy habits without guilt or overwhelming them.

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