What started as a presentation to a single class soon ballooned into a traveling educational carnival that visits Head Start schools, day care centers, health fairs, churches and senior citizen facilities. By suiting up as Dr. Happy Tooth, Dr. Arnold also hopes to address problems such as tooth decay, which affects up to 50 percent of children by the age of two. Furthermore, this epidemic is exacerbated by the fact that almost 40 percent of American children are not covered by health insurance. "If we demonstrate to kids how easy it is to brush and floss your teeth, we can eradicate this problem," says Dr. Arnold, adding, "It’s imperative that we get this message out to economically disadvantaged children who don’t have role models in their homes. By appealing to them through Dr. Happy Tooth, I can effectively educate them about preventive dental care in a non-threatening way."

In Addition to performing this community service, Dr. Arnold and Dr. Wilson provide unparalleled dental care from their Berkeley office. Before the evolution of Dr. Happy Tooth, Dr. Arnold graduated from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and later attended his father and grandfather’s alma mater, Meharry Medical College. He began practicing in the East Bay in 1974, and has since joined forces with his wife, Dr. Wendi Wilson, a Howard University dental graduate. Together, they have provided excellent dental care to Bay Area residents for the past two decades.