NMDA Journal Spring 2020

18 New Mexico Dental Journal, Spring 2020 It sounds naïve. It may be. It may be too simple. And true, it is. But really, what else do we have? The heart of our work, the best and loveliest work we can do, is to help people smile, in genuine and healthy ways. Smiling aids in overall health, builds confidence, and encourages laughter, which reduces stress. It helps us land jobs and find love. It helps us be good parents. It saves people from anguish. It keeps us married. Smiling makes us physically stronger. The foundation’s work to maintain and restore health to our smiles is truly at our core. We all deal with cynicism and rejection in our lives, especially when we’re working on things we care about. Each day we have to oppor- tunity to choose to believe in growth and have hope that families and communities are empowered as a result of our work. We remind our- selves of what can happen with one shift: the person who gets a job with her new set of teeth and is able to economically change her life; the quiet ripple of new confident smiles at a family dinner table. Relieving pain and giving back healthy smiles is change. The foundation is getting an infrastructure upgrade in 2020. We have an excellent new President of the Board of Directors, Dr. Art Montoya. Together, one of our main initiatives is to evaluate ourselves and to understand our impact. We know that we change lives. We can understand just what that means, and then share it. So, look for that story this year. Evaluation will also help us expand and change in order to do more and be more effective. So, look for change and growth in the coming years. Let Your Smile Change the World By Kelley Tredwin, Executive Director, New Mexico Dental Association Foundation