SMILE FAIRY PEP RALLIES
Smiles aren’t the only thing the Smile Fairy doles out to area children. She also embraces them with group hugs in an effort to show the importance of good oral dental care. Staff photo by Rick Bussler
If you see kindergarteners or preschoolers around Steele County with extra smiles this month, it may be because they’ve been smothered by somebody who has become notorious for offering up smiles.
During National Children’s Dental Health Month, the Smile Fairy, aka Holly Jorgensen, has been making the rounds in area schools. Dressed in a pink tutu skirt and wearing an affectionate smile, the Smile Fairy hits the kindergarten and preschool classrooms with her Dental Pep Rallies to promote oral dental health.
The pep rallies, Jorgensen said, are a wonderful way to illustrate how joyful classroom moments translate into healthier kids who are more comfortable, confident and ready to learn.
“This isn’t just entertainment and costumes,” she says. “It stresses prevention. We have the data to show that it leads to action. Through our school-based dental clinics and main dental clinic, we are seeing students who were first reached through classroom education go on to receive real dental treatment.”
Jorgensen is the executive director of Let’s Smile, Inc., a nonprofit organization that began promoting dental health in 2013. She found a lack of access to care for low-income families. Let’s Smile accepts only families on Medicaid or those with no insurance.
She is quick to point out how she doesn’t want to be confused with the Tooth Fairy. In the beginning, Jorgensen portrayed herself as the Tooth Fairy’s helper. However, that was short-lived after an interaction that totally caught her off guard.
“I once had an adorable little boy with brown eyes and tears rolling down his face ask me why I didn’t like him,” she said, noting she was immediately heartbroken. When she questioned the boy further, she discovered the Tooth Fairy never comes to his house. “I apologized and gave him an extra toothbrush,” she added.
She said she found out the hard way that the Tooth Fairy isn’t universal in going to everybody’s house. “I went home and said I would never do this again.”
But Jorgensen didn’t cave and found an easy solution. The Smile Fairy was born because “smiles are free and come out during the day.” She noted how she didn't want to be viewed as someone creeping in people’s houses.
“We live in a very diverse community,” said Jorgensen. “I want to be for everybody with spreading smiles.”
In 2025, Let’s Smile reached 3,395 people with its education program. Every participant receives a new toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss and motivation and education to establish a dental home and practice healthy oral hygiene habits.
Besides the school programs, Let’s Smile also offers dental care in its clinic located in Community Pathways of Steele County in Owatonna. Last year Let’s Smile provided care to 1,217 children, up slightly from the previous year.
“Let’s Smile’s education emphasizes prevention and early intervention, helping children build healthy habits that reduce the need for restorative dental care later in life,” Jorgensen said. “We believe establishing healthy behaviors during childhood is easier and more effective than trying to change unhealthy behaviors during adulthood.”
The nonprofit is funded through grants and donations.