Was given the opportunity to join the dental team as a tag along for their operations. It was an amazing experience to go from dental screening the previous day to actually being within the working environment. I will start at the screening process- which I also went through in a previous blog. It started at approximately 815 am where we made our way down to the "hope center". Getting closer to the clinic, we were able to see the LONG lines of people who had traveled from all over just to be seen by our dental crew. Some of these people arrived to the line up at 5 am or earlier in order to ensure a spot, but these people may not even be able to be seen by the dental team. Those who arrive at the front of the line are not seen first due to the fact that some people may arrive extra early to hold a spot in line, only to sell it to people who have traveled great distances (or short)! So to stop this from occurring, the dental crew screens from random places within the line. It was MY job to make sure the lines were even, that no one was getting physical with the dental crew in panic to be seen, and to interact with the beautiful women and children who were standing so patiently. The children are always so sweet, and love to play games with really anything. One child and I played a simple game of catch with a rock we found. It was actually a lot of fun! The neat part was that the next day during my time within the dental clinic, I was able to interact with some of the children I had seen from the screening as they waited patiently in the waiting room. It was a totally different atmosphere inside the clinic than during the screening as these patients knew they were going to be seen and treated.
Now within the dentistry department, most of the procedures are extractions (and some fillings). The teeth have become so rotten that really the only solution is to pull them out. This, of course, requires that nasty numbing needle which catches any eye at any age. The Malagasy adults pain tolerance and fear suppression is extremely high! However, the children are no different from the children anywhere else in a dental office, of course. As soon as that needle is in sight, the hands become clammy and require holding, and the eyes are glued to that incoming needle which requires TOYS to distract. However, hand holding, drawing, and distractions were not enough, and just about every child screamed in anguish as the dentist numbed the mouth-as I am sure we all did when we were children. When the dentist was going in to do the job, it was my responsibility to hold their hands and try to distract them in anyway I could. Also, I was given the neat opportunity to work the suction (under supervision of course) and help the dentist out first hand!
YES it was heartbreaking
YES it was difficult
BUT the dentists were EXTREMELY efficient and were able to numb the mouth in a matter of minutes, to which the children and I would draw on some etch and sketch. Most of the time, they were far better than I at the drawing portion. This act of playing with the treated children gave me joy as I knew these children would no longer have to feel the pain of extreme toothaches to the point of not eating or to the point of being unable to sleep. Not only the children, but many adults had the same problems. Not eating or sleeping can not only affect health, but your relationships and self image as well.
I felt honored to have played a role in positively influencing the health of these patients, young and old. It was amazing to see a group of dentists, hygienist, and assistants (ALL VOLUNTEERS) working long days to ensure that less and less people go on in their lives with excruciating pain.
PHOTOS:
#1: The necessary pre-dental crew photo op. Taken by Moira Munro!
Thank you all so much,
Jesse Spooner.
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