About Dr. Kevin Holly

I've been a dentist long enough to know that most kids tune out the moment someone starts talking about brushing technique. I did too. Back in dental school, we would lecture to second and third graders the same information dentists have been giving for decades: "Brush twice a day. Sugar is bad. Here are the foods to avoid." Kids were bored. I was bored. And nobody was leaving with any real understanding of why.

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That's where Captain Enamel was born.

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I wanted kids to understand the actual science - that bacteria eat sugar and produce acid, and that acid is what attacks your enamel. When kids understand the why, they don't just follow rules, they make choices. That felt worth building something around.

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So I did! Over the past four years I've brought an interactive oral health program to nearly 4,000 kids across the Twin Cities through elementary schools, preschools, private schools, and daycares. The presentations use magic tricks, science experiments, animal teeth, and art projects, because that's what actually holds a seven-year-old's attention.

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Captain Enamel is for early elementary kids who want to understand cavities. Brush Your Teeth, You Silly Animals! is for the younger crowd who just need to build the daily hygiene habits. And  we now have Somali and Spanish editions of Captain Enamel, because every kid deserves to learn this in a language that feels like home.

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Most of this has been self-funded, because I believe in it. The Buy One, Give One program is how I make it sustainable — and how I make sure the kids who need these books most actually get them.