Dental clinic serves fewer people
Rebecca Baughman drove 24 hours to pull decayed and rotten teeth at the Tri-Cities Mission of Mercy in Grand Island.
The young dentist lives in North Carolina, but she calls Nebraska home and wanted to serve locals.
“These are normal people with normal problems,” Baughman said.
Mission of Mercy closed shop at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday. In two days, dentists from Nebraska and beyond served 1,378 patients and finished 6,224 procedures.
It was less than expected, stated Dr. Steve Anderson, a Grand Island dentist and the event’s organizer, but he is happy with the good they did. At the 2006 Mission of Mercy in Grand Island, 1,700 people were served, but this year, there were not enough dentists and hygienists.
“It is extremely humbling to realize there are so many people who need your help,” stated Omaha dentist Bimbo Pietro who has practiced dentistry for nearly 30 years.
Many people came into the Exhibition Building at Fonner Park upset and in pain, but when they leave, they are smiling, Baughman said. Without Mission of Mercy, many might not be able to receive the dental care they need.
“This one touches your heart,” stated Teresa Anderson, Central District Health Department director, about the event.
But Saturday’s operation was small in comparison to the first Mission of Mercy day. There were about 55 dentists, 15 hygienists and 250 non-dental volunteers working, Anderson guessed, but actual numbers will not be available for a few days.
At about 8:30 a.m., they stopped accepting new patients because there were not enough dentists and hygienists to serve any more people. About 400 people were served Saturday in comparison to Friday’s more than 900 treated.
“We help so many people that it breaks our hearts that we cannot help more,” stated Anderson, who also is president of America’s Dentists Care Foundation.
After her long drive, Baughman started her work at 5:30 Saturday morning. She worked from the station closest to the oral surgery area entrance — the busiest Mission of Mercy section.
While extracting a tooth from her fourth patient of the day, the tooth broke. It was so decayed that Baughman had to surgically remove the tooth. While she was working on the elderly man, people were walking in and out of the area, shuffling in new patients and working on similar issues.
“You’ve got to fly low and make decisions fast,” Anderson said.
After the surgery, the man’s pain is gone and so is the problem tooth. This was just one of 1,519 extractions.
“When you extract a tooth, you get someone out of pain immediately,” Baughman said.
Baughman participated in the Grand Island Mission of Mercy in 2006 and the work solidified her choice to become a dentist. It showed her a different side of dentistry outside the confines of a typical dental office with a solid clientele.
“There is such a massive sub-sect of society that do not have access to (dental care),” Baughman said.
More source:
Volunteers - Free Clinic of Central VirginiaDentalWorks: outstanding dental care, exceptional service ...
Nisonger Center Dental Program | The Ohio State University ...
CLINICS AND DENTAL SERVICES
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Submited at Friday, June 10th, 2011 at 6:00 am on Uncategorized by sofia
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