MINNEAPOLIS – How often does someone run into Sam Darnold during a dental appointment?
Safe to say it's a pretty rare occurrence, which is why 10-year-old Litza made sure to say "hi" to the quarterback after getting her teeth cleaned earlier this month. Litza and more than 200 other young people were welcomed to U.S. Bank Stadium for a TeamSmile "dental tailgate" hosted by the Vikings and UnitedHealthcare.
Throughout the duration of the afternoon, Colgate team members, dental assistants, dental school faculty and students, hygienists and dentists volunteered their time to provide free dental care to Twin Cities youth in need.
When Litza spotted Darnold and some of his Vikings teammates chatting with some of her peers, she smiled broadly from an exam chair.
Darnold made sure to stop by for a visit, during which he complimented Litza's purple tennis shoes.
"It was really good to talk with Sam. It was so cool meeting a Vikings player!" Litza said. "I don't play sports, but I'm a Vikings fan.
"He told me my shoes were cool and asked me what my favorite hobby is outside of school," she added. "I told him it's shopping."
Darnold was joined by teammates Jalen Nailor, Andrew DePaola, Ty Chandler, Myles Gaskin and Walter Rouse, along with Viktor the Viking, Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders and 40 UnitedHealthcare volunteers.
"It's been a great experience," said UnitedHealthcare employee Joseph Huynh. "For the most part, I'm usually working at home or in the office, so … being here today and seeing all these kids' faces and smiles, it's been a great time.
"It's one thing to hear [reminders about dental care] from your parents, but an event like this might be a way to see it through a different lens – 'Hey, that's a superstar, a Vikings player, and they're taking care of their teeth.' It's someone outside of the house, which I think can be impactful," Huynh added.
Nailor and Chandler tossed footballs to young fans on the field, and Rouse and DePaola joined Darnold in providing encouragement and moral support during dental exams.
"It's cool to see all this free dental work being provided," Nailor said. "A lot of kids don't really get the opportunity, so it's amazing to be here and just support them and make their day, hang out with them.
"I love their happiness, the energy that they have," he added. "It's just an honor and so much fun to see them and make their days."
TeamSmile Executive Director John McCarthy expressed gratitude to the Vikings and UnitedHealthcare for helping execute such a positive and impactful event.
"This really fits the TeamSmile model of combining sports and dentistry. Taking the fear out of dentistry. Making it cool. Making it fun. And it works! We're so grateful," McCarthy said. "If Sam Darnold says, 'Brush your teeth, floss your teeth, it's good for ya' to a 6-, 8-, 10-year-old who's watching Sam on TV … then all of a sudden, you're gonna brush your teeth and floss your teeth. That's the model of TeamSmile. We have these professional athletes who reinforce good habits with these children."
Beyond on-site dental work, young people went through a variety of interactive stations to learn more about proper oral care and hygiene.
Colgate sponsored the education stations that included information on plaque, flossing, how long to brush your teeth and even how much dental health can affect the entire body.
"That is a big deal. We come here and they have the treatment and all the necessary care, but it's also really important for them to have the foundation [of education] to grow up without one of the worst diseases we have in the United States. … Trying to avoid these little kids getting to that stage, it's really, really important that we continue to educate them," Colgate's Patricia Sousa said. "Poor oral health can be related to diabetes, to cardiovascular disease, to Alzheimer's disease.
"When we talk about oral health, we're really talking about overall health," Sousa added. "It's really, really important that we continue this type of work."
Though going to the dentist can often cause anxiety for young people and adults alike, the atmosphere throughout U.S. Bank Stadium stayed upbeat all day thanks to TeamSmile, UnitedHealthcare and the Vikings.
As the youth intermittently lined up to head home, showing off their new toothbrushes and pearly whites, Nailor smiled.
"I couldn't ask for a better off day than just to be out here with these kids," he said. "It means the most to us as players to have that type of impact on these kids."
