I was that kid – the one banned from the local dental
clinic. All my little friends had their pearly-white baby teeth checked
at school, but for some reason the dental nurse took it personally when I
bit her fingers and kicked off the drill switches!
So, of course, it was yours-truly who was randomly assigned to head
over to check out the Mercy Ships’ dental programme this week.
I found a dental team of 14 hailing from 11 far-flung nations, and
six continents -performing multiple and sometimes complex procedures for
each patient. Unfortunately, the Malagasy are plagued with oral heath
problems, and people of all ages are living with significant dental pain
every day. And we all know how debilitating that can be, but untreated
it can also be life-threatening!
A terrified little girl was in the clinic that morning with a decayed
tooth that had become abscessed, and the poison had spread. Eventually
the excruciatingly painful infection created two escape-holes in her jaw
line. In desperation her mother brought the child, hoping for help. The
lead dentist immediately performed oral surgery, antibiotics were
administered, prayers were prayed, and the dire situation was relived.
The poor wee thing looked pretty shattered by her experience.
Sadly, most of the 23 million people in this nation do not have
access to this kind of dental care, and there is simply nowhere viable
for them to turn. Consequently, our dental programme includes mentoring
and training local people for the duration of the field service;
equipping and encouraging them in dental techniques that will help
restore the smiles of this nation’s people.
P.S. This lovely pic is my all-time favourite Mercy Ships dental photo – taken in a previous field service in Guinea
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