Salem resident’s book encourages children to take good care of their teeth

As a dental hygienist, Salem resident Heidi Rocha has a special interest in encouraging healthy dental practices.

And now, she is continuing her career-long practice of education and outreach by publishing her first book about dental hygiene.

“I was born and raised in Connecticut and I have always kept my connection to this great community,” said Rocha.

A wife, mother, and animal lover, Rocha has spent her career working as a dental hygienist in pediatrics and community outreach.

“If I look familiar, you’ve probably seen me in one of our local schools, daycares, libraries, or play groups, teaching children about healthy dental habits,” she said.

Writing a children’s dental book has been a lifelong dream for Rocha, and “Toothbrushing with Maggie & Mommy,” book one in the Sparkly Smile Series, has been a long time coming.

“Literally in the works for decades and I finally did it!” said Rocha.

The book is about a little girl named Maggie who goes to Miss Patty’s Preschool. The special visitors of the day at Miss Patty’s are Maggie’s mom, a dental hygienist, and Dino, her stuffed animal friend.

“Together, they teach the class how to brush their teeth,” said Rocha.

Rocha first started her career as a hygienist with the “Dr. Bobs,” as she puts it, Schreibman and Jung at Smiles for the Future in Glastonbury, in 1988.

“And when you are lucky enough to start your career in a great practice, why leave?” she said.

For her first 30 years, Rocha worked in the clinical setting, and also ran the practice’s community outreach and education program.

“At the end of 2017, I retired from clinical practice, but I have continued to work for Smiles for the Future as their education liaison,” said Rocha.

It is that part of her career that inspired Rocha to write her own children’s dental book.

“With the support of my family and the help of my amazing illustrator, my brilliant editors, and my business coach, I finally did it!” she exclaimed.

As of today, Rocha has self-published four children’s books.

“It’s been a fun learning experience for me,” she said, noting that she joined multiple children’s author groups, listened to podcasts and trainings, asked lots of questions, leaned on her author cousin, Jane Haertel, and just went for it.

” Benny The Bully Goat’ was my first book, about my actual pet goat Benny,” said Rocha, noting that the story came to her in a dream and she designed it herself through Canva, a free, online graphic design tool.

The book allowed Rocha to test the waters and figure out the system.

“Next came ‘Toothbrushing with Maggie & Mommy,’ book 1 in the Sparkly Smiles Series, my passion project,” said Rocha. “This story has been rattling around in my brain for decades.”

The book encompasses what Rocha has been teaching out in the community for the Smiles clinic.

“It truly warms my heart to know that my dental tips and tricks can now reach much further than just our local community,” she said.

Brushing with little ones can be a battle, noted Rocha, but it’s essential.

“My wish is that this book can help parents initiate a routine that’s not always easy to establish,” she said.

The book is illustrated by Noni-Ayanna Gobern-Roach, “because I wanted it to be perfect,” said Rocha, noting that her daughter, Maggie Krawczyk, and her stepdaughter, Jaclyn Rocha, served as her editors. Friend and business coach, Gina Johnson, gave Rocha the confidence and the push to actually go for it.

“Now, I’m off and running,” she said. “Although I will never stop learning, it is getting a bit easier to navigate the self-publishing system.”

Rocha recently published an 8-Week Toothbrushing Tracker and Activity Book that is part of the Sparkly Smiles Series and a general 12-Week Toothbrushing Tracker. All four are available on Amazon, and more children’s books are in the works.