Danica Looks To Make Impact By Partnering With Aspen Dental

Danica Patrick recently partnered with Aspen Dental. While in the world of NASCAR this partnership can be seen on the track when she drives the No. 10 Aspen Dental machine; Patrick’s partnership with Aspen Dental goes far beyond the racetrack. Patrick along with Aspen are looking to make an impact while raising awareness about the importance of maintaining a healthy mouth.

In January Patrick joined the Aspen Dental team with the hope to make a difference through their Healthy Mouth Movement.  The movement was designed to deliver free dental care to thousands of people in communities across the United States and oral health education to millions more. On September 10th Patrick joined the Mouth Mobile which is a fully functional dental studio on wheels for an event in her hometown of Roscoe, Illinois. During this event the Mouth Mobile provided 24 hours of free dental care.

While at the event Patrick spoke about the importance of the movement and how it impacted her hometown.

"As a tight-knit, working-class community, Roscoe remains in my heart and in my mind. When you look at the national dental care statistics and put them under the local microscope, that would mean 3,300 residents of Roscoe’s nearly 11,000 people have not seen the dentist in the past year. Over the next 24 hours, we will make sure at least 100 people who truly need access receive the care they require."

The numbers and statistics that Patrick was referring to paint an even larger picture when it comes to dental hygiene in the United States. Here is a quick look at the current state of oral health in America:

• 100 million people didn’t visit a dental office last year, and only 36 percent of all adults in the United States are expected to visit a dentist in 2014(Kaiser Family Foundation)
• Total annual spending for dental care is expected to increase 58 percent — from $101.9 billion to $161.4 billion — between 2009 and 2018 (Pew Center on the States).
• There are more than 800,000 ER visits annually due to preventable dental disease.

While the Healthy Mouth Movement will not solve the dental problems in the United States, Patrick and Aspen Dental are hoping that they can help alleviate some of it. With the use of the movement and the Mouth Mobile Aspen Dental and its offices in 28 states will be opening their doors and devoting a Saturday to providing much-needed dental care to those who need it most – free of charge, no questions asked.

To date the numbers show that the movement has been a success. At the end of August the movement had reached nearly 150 different cities in the United States. Throughout those cities 2,199 patients were able to receive free dental care through the Healthy Mouth Movement. The free dental work provided to those 2,199 patients totaled nearly $800,000 and would not have been possible if not for the near 1,500 volunteers that helped with the movement.

If you would like to learn more about the Healthy Mouth Movement, visit www.AspenDental.com. For additional information about Oral Health America’s “State of Decay” report, visit www.toothwisdom.org.

This weekend Patrick and the No. 10 team will be looking for a movement of a different kind when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series kicks of the 2014 chase. Although Patrick will not be a part of the chase field she still has a lot to accomplish in the final 10 races of the year. Aside from want to improve overall, Patrick is still seeking her first top-five finish as well as her first victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Christopher Olmstead is the Editor of BeyondTheFlag.com on the FanSided Network. Follow us on Twitter @Beyond_The_Flag and “Like” us on Facebook.