Kimberly Meehan, R.D.H.

Biography

As a Dental Hygienist, model, spokesperson and retired professional cheerleader, Kimberly understands and promotes the importance of a healthy smile.



Tooth decay has become a growing concern for our nation's youth, affecting over 50% of first graders across the country. Although dental care tops the list of low-income children's unmet health needs, foundation funding devoted to oral health needs has been miniscule. Kimberly's platform promotes children's oral health awareness throughout various tri-state communities, with the goal of building healthier communities one child at a time. She is currently presenting her oral health awareness program in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, you will find her visiting community centers and school classrooms to educate children grades K-3 on the importance of proper brushing, good nutrition and dental sealants. During the 2007/2008 school year, she expanded her scope of community outreach by helping over 10,000 children enrolled in the 200 community centers and schools within the Philadelphia Safe and Sound Network, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grantee. Children who are healthy will learn better and be more productive, that is the goal of Kimberly's oral health education program. Committed to improving children's oral health on a national level, she is an advocate for "Smiles Across America," a division of Oral Health America and for the Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program, president of the Philadelphia component of the Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists' Association, and member of Public Citizens for Children and Youth. Kimberly has received several awards for her community dentistry efforts, her volunteer work has helped procure over 1.5 million dollars in dental treatment and education to uninsured children throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Kimberly is a Registered Dental Hygienist with 16 years experience. She currently practices with Dr. Ken Cirka's office, a cosmetic dental practice located in center city Philadelphia. Kimberly resides in New Jersey with her husband Jim, an Electrical Engineer with General Dynamics. Jim also serves his town as a Planning and Zoning Board member and his country as a reservist in the United States Air Force. Some of Kimberly's passions include, judging pageants, running , Toastmasters, modeling, CrossFit training, dancing, watching the Phillies, enjoying the arts, taking long walks with Maggie & Mina, and skiing with Jim wherever there is snow.



Kimberly understands the importance of teamwork, and from early in her college years has recognized and developed her leadership skills. Kimberly was chosen Student American Dental Hygienists' Association class president in college and was also chosen the team ambassador later when she became a professional cheerleader at age 34. Recently utilizing her leadership skills, she has created a program for Dental Hygiene students from Community College of Philadelphia to visit schools throughout Philadelphia, providing children with dental health education.

Kimberly represented New Jersey in 2008 by holding the title of Mrs. New Jersey International . She had a very successful year, educating 84 classrooms and making memories to last a lifetime. She currently holds the title of Mrs. New Jersey All American Woman 2010, working hard to be the next Mrs. All American Woman. The crown has opened many doors to educate the public on oral health issues. With her dedication and compassion she has proven to be a catalyst for improving the public's awareness of children's oral health issues, making a difference in thousands of children's lives. With her compassion and dedication she will continue to promote community dentistry projects, and make the nation's children healthier, one smile at a time.

Educating for a Healthy Smile

Tooth decay is the #1 most common chronic childhood disease in America. Children suffering from tooth decay will often have difficulty eating and sleeping, therefore affecting their ability to concentrate. Educating for a Healthy Smile is an initiative to promote the importance of children's oral health through education. For the past 5 years, I have been visiting school classroom's, community centers and churches throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, educating children grades K-3 on the importance of a healthy smile. My presentation introduces them to proper brushing, healthy snacks and dental sealants. Thanks to my generous sponsors, each child is given a free toothbrush and educational materials to take home to their parents.

Each presentation is approximately 45 minutes long, depending on the size of the group. I will start off the presentation by introducing myself and "Little Bill", he is my stuffed donkey that has very big teeth, we use him for the children to practice brushing with. I will then introduce some dental words the children may be unfamiliar with, show them a video on children's oral health , demonstrate proper brushing and allow the children to brush "Little Bill's" teeth, discuss healthy vs. non healthy snacks for the teeth, explain what a dental sealant is and then have a question & answer session with the children.

You will find my contact information on this blog, please contact me if you are interested in having a children's oral health presentation in your school, church or community center.

Smiles Across America is a national program that brings the educational component of community dentistry into inner city classrooms across the country. Please visit their web site for more information on a program that might be in your community.

Bright Smiles, Bright Futures, which is sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive, is another children's oral health program that has provided me with my educational materials. If I can not be in the classroom, any teacher may request toothbrushes and educational material to be sent to your classroom. This is a national and a global program that allows teachers to be oral health educators when the dental professionals can not be there. I encourage all teachers to be oral health educators, please visit their web site to request the proper materials for your in school presentation.

A special thanks to StarSmilez for donating "BG Roo" and his baby kangaroo, Church & Dwight for donating Spin Brushes and toothpaste, and Doc Bresler's Cavity Busters for donating manual toothbrushes and brochures. I am happy to have been blessed with these generous donations, and for having such a successful in classroom Oral Health Education Program.

Unfortunately there are many of children throughout our nation who's oral health needs are unmet. With proper education of how to prevent tooth decay, we can minimize the occurence in our children by 50%. This is what has inspired me to give back to my profession and to my community. reason I am just what I am doing throughout our communities.
Harcum College Hosts 6th Annual Dental Expo --Sessions for dental professionals will provide insights into the most current techniques and treatments while fulfilling required CEU credits-- BRYN MAWR, PA – December 13, 2011 – The 6th Annual Dental Expo, hosted by Continuing Studies at Harcum College, will be held Saturday, March 3, 2012 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm on Harcum’s Bryn Mawr campus. This year’s Expo will feature several new and informative courses presented by local as well as national experts in the field of dentistry. Dental professionals will find courses of interest in a range of topics, including the pharmacology of anesthesia, developments in esthetic materials and restorations and technologies in dental hygiene practice, among others. Meetings of the Pennsylvania EFDA Association and Sigma Phi Alpha, the Dental Hygiene National Honor Society, will take place in the afternoon while information from exhibitors and sponsors will be available during breaks and the time allotted for lunch and networking. To expand on the networking and social interaction, Harcum will showcase its newly renovated Kevin D. Marlo Little Theatre during a complimentary wine and cheese reception from 4-5pm. Attendees will be given the option to participate in two three-hour approved courses, one morning session and one afternoon session, to receive a maximum of six CEU credits from the Pennsylvania EFDA Association/Pennsylvania Academic of Dental Hygiene Studies. “The courses are designed to discuss a variety of new developments in the dental field and enhance the skill sets of all attendants,” says Theresa Groody, Director of Professional Studies at Harcum College. “We encourage participants to select one class from each session that will pique their interest and cultivate their area of expertise.” Recognized as one of the leading providers of dental healthcare education in the Delaware Valley, Harcum will be hosting this professional conference for the sixth year in a row. As in past years, the Expo will continue to provide the most up-to-date techniques, findings and strategies for all attendees as well as members of the dental community, including Expanded Function Dental Assistants (EFDAs), Hygienists, Dentists, Office Managers and Assistants, as well as current Harcum College students and alumni. To register, or for more detailed course descriptions, please call 610-526-6083 and request a registration form, or go online to register at www.myharcum.com/2012expo. Early registration is encouraged. About Harcum College Harcum College, one of Pennsylvania’s first independent, two-year colleges, was founded in Bryn Mawr, PA in 1915 and was the first college in Pennsylvania chartered by the state to grant associate degrees. Harcum offers fully accredited, career-ready majors in nursing, the allied health professions, business and social sciences on campus, online, and regionally, as well as lifelong learning programs and corporate training.
New Jersey International Pageants 2011 I had the opportunity to sit as judges chairperson for this years NJ International Pageants. Congrats to my friend Danielle Micale for winning the title of Mrs. NJ International. Welcome to the NJ International sisterhood!!
February is National Children's Dental Health Month so today I made a special visit to Acorn Montessori School. Evelyn McCleod whois our reigning America's Mrs. helped arrange a visit to educate children on the importance of a healthy smile. What a team we made today, I gave a very fun educational lecture and Evelyn sponsored 100+ spin toothbrushes to all the children at Acorn Montessori. Today I represented the dental prefession and I appeared as a "former" Mrs. NJ. It was so cool that the children still wanted autographs of a "former " queen, I guess once a queen always a queen. . . so fun!!
A Fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project I ran in my first Tough Mudder event and yes it was Tough!!! This was a 12 mile run through the craziest obstacles that were muddy and wet. I don;t know what I was thinking it is November in New Jersey and the water that I had to swim in was a very chilly 45 degrees!! I had to overcome a lot of fear on this event, jumping into cold water from a 15" platform being the big one!! Thannks to my Teammates for helping me get through that!! A special thanks to my husband for supporting me and handling my Hypothermia, so glad you sat this one out!! I did not finish, only got half way through I just could not function from the cold and being wet. I will attempt this one again in warmer weather next year. The Wounded Warrior Project is very important to me and I do not regret the challenge!
I LOVE my Phillies!!! I am so proud to be born and raised in the Philadelphia area, especially proud of the Philadelpha Phillies Organization. There are so many hero's on the team that contribute to the greatness. . . Howard, Chooch, Utley, Halladay, Polanco, and many more. The man I think we all owe a great deal of thanks to is Charlie Manuel. . . our coach!! The definition of a good leader is someone who makes it easy for others to succeed. . . Charlie you do this for our team!! Keep up the good work Phillies, we love you!!
I spent the afternoon with some of my best friends today!!! We gathered today for the annual Alzheimer's Association walk "Miles For Millie". Thanks Danielle for hosting this wonderful event. We got in a good 5k run today all for a great cause. Love you ladies!!!
I am home safe and sound from Myrtle Beach!! I had some great stage time and gained a lot of experience this year! I did not come home as your new Mrs. All American Woman but I came come a greener person. I am still green and growing, I am a better person every time I put myself out on a limb and pageants do this for me. My goal in pageants was to improve my interview and communication skills, I feel I have done that. I had a perfect 50 and 2 49's from interviews on the first day so I could not ask for more. It was a very tough group of ladies competing and the judges in the end chose a beautiful representative inside and out. . . congrats Melissa!!!! I had quality time with my friend Marci and met some great new friends and I am thankful for that as well. Congrats to all the 2011 queens crowned at the Mrs. All American and All American pageants, best wishes for a successful year ahead!
Marci and I arrived here in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday evening. It was a great ride down, listened to some pageant CD's and chit chatted about our lives, you know the stuff we don't get to talk about very often. When we arrived if was raining but as the week went on the weather became worse. Orientation and interviews are delayed due to travel conditions. We did have the Luau last night and I had the opportunity to meet some of the current queens. The All American pageant organization is very well complimented by having these ladies in the family! They were just as beautiful on the inside as the outside. I hope all the judges and contestants arrive safe and sound. I can't wait for the competition to begin.
I just had to get this photo opportunity!! On the way to NYC I noticed this large tooth on the side of the road. This is a beautiful sculpture located on the grounds for sculpture in Hamilton NJ. The anatomy is just perfect, I am standing in the Furcation of a Maxillary Molar!! How fun!!
I judged my first USA local pageant, and had a blast!! Thanks to the NYC USA pageant organization for giving me this opportunity to judge Miss and Teen Manhattan USA. I had a fun filled weekend in NY with a friend and met some very inspiring young ladies. New York is certainly full of life and beautiful young ladies to compete for the title. I am convinced we have chosen very qualified candidates for the Miss and Teen New York USA pageant this year. Both titleholders very very impressive in interview and on stage!! Best wishes to the Manhattan USA organization and titleholders. Thanks again, I had a wonderful expreience and made some new friends!
I conquered the "Beast of the East," the McGuire Mud Run. Along with my friends and family, we had a very rewarding day running a 10k race through 18 obstacle courses. My favorite obstacle was the low crawl through mud and water just .75 miles into the run. My least favorite was climbing the 12ft wall made of plywood with dirt on the back side. This would have been an easy obstacle if I would have used the rope but I decided to be ambitious and run up it without using the rope. I made it all the way to the top with 3 giant reaches of my little legs and lost my grip at the top. You can guess how this went, I completely ate it, the wall that is lol! My abrasions were not that bad, my high socks completely saved my shins, just allowing the skin to be removed from my knee, elbow, forearm, and wrist. What an emotional moment crossing the finish line. A special thanks to all my friends and family for joining me on this event. The race takes place every September in support of our military, this years race was on September 11th, I couldn't think of a better way to spend the day in support of our Country. I look forward to next years race, and improving my time.
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