Take it out! Take it out, take it out, remove it.

My 1st dental patient :)

Giving flouride treatments

Just after Christmas a medical/dental team arrived from America to do a few clinics around the area. Having had a few months to adjust to this culture already myself, it was interesting watching others from my own culture be shocked and attempt to adjust to the culture here. Life changed quite a bit for the few days they were staying here! Once they arrived we got right to work, first giving each of the orphanage kids a quick check-up and fluoride treatment (foam we would spread on their teeth then let them spit out in a bowl). Then we let the villagers pressing against our gate begin to come through. I had the privilege of working with an AWESOME dentist….seriously, 90 yrs old and full of fun! If anyone came complaining of tooth pain, the only way he could help was to take the tooth out. Surprisingly there were quite a few too scared to do that and just wanted medicine! Sorry guys, we don’t have magic pills that will cure your rotting teeth. Those brave enough to be helped would quickly be numbed(injected) then he’d get their teeth out like no big deal! So I guess after 90 yrs of pulling teeth it may not be such a big deal, but if it were one of my teeth coming out…it’d be a big deal.

Another awesome thing about my 90 yr old dentist friend; he seems to believe anyone can be a dentist….in a matter of minutes. He started talking about us pulling out teeth and I thought he was joking because he does have a good sense of humor. But after watching him pull a few he hands me the pliers! I felt nowhere near qualified to pull out teeth, but since when have SM’s felt qualified to do the things they do? So not even a minute later I’d pulled out my first tooth! Then I was told if I pulled 3 I’d be treated with more respect…D.(1) D.(2) S.(3) so of course that was a must! The medical part of the team was busy busy busy and I got a lot of practice taking blood pressure, but the dental side was, surprisingly, the most fun for me! I say surprisingly because I would much rather go to a doctor than a dentist at home, especially because now I know what it’s like to be the one pulling the teeth! Strangely, despite the grossing thought of pulling rotting teeth out of mouths the reek, there is an odd addictive element in the experience. By the end of their trip I’d pulled 8 teeth and even given two injections! So if any of you need any teeth pulled, don’t bother with the bills. I’ll be home in March and I won’t charge you a thing. Why would you be worried? I’m qualified now, a D.D.S. J