Dental ...

It truly is a great place to serve the LORD!!  We were super blessed to have five stations where about 277 people were seen in dental in the four days that we held "Brigade"; a lot of work was done!!!

I did not work in dental this year but I did last year and it was my most memorable day ~ click HERE to read about my awesome (both spiritual and physical) adventure that day!  Because I worked in dental last year, that post has many photos of the tools, the processes and even some very interesting (feel free to use your own adjective) teeth.

Here's teammate Deb READY for her day in Dental!!

You look like a natural, Deb!!

Here, the dentists (Honduran, American and Nicaraguan), staff and team members prepare for their day by putting God first, thanking Him for the opportunity and requesting His purpose be prevalent for the day!!

The man in the photo below is Jon Hovestol.  He and his wife are the missionaries originally from our area of Wisconsin; they have close ties to many of the members of our team.   

A wide range of people were seen and treated from small children to the elderly, from simple cleanings to fillings to multiple extractions.

In the below photo is Ana Lucia, a dentist, originally from Nicaragua but resides in Honduras.  Though I've said it before, I'm going to say it again ~ SHE IS THE BEST DENTIST EVER!!!  Don't get me wrong; the other dentists are wonderful too but yes, ... I worked with her last year and now I am biased.  Ana Lucia is truly amazing - kind, gentle, compassionate, highly-skilled and a fantastic example of a Christian woman. 

She truly cares about each person who sits at her station ... oh, and by the way, Ana Lucia's station is primarily for "EXTRACTIONS." 

While being in "dental", it is more than possible to have F-U-N!  I was 'caught' by Joe a few times as he used the water tip not to rinse mouths or clean off teeth but to "squirt" people as they walked by!!

My friend and neighbor, Jen, was a "first-timer" on this mission trip and because she was slotted for "dental", I forewarned her that if she wanted to work with Ana Lucia, she would have to nearly POUNCE upon her station before anyone else could take the spot.  I CONFESS ~ I really did tell her that!  

Don't worry, no one sustained any injuries in the process.  

I was really excited for her to have the opportunity to spend a day being a "dental assistant."

Some cases were tricky or a bit more difficult (remember, Ana Lucia mainly does 'extractions') and several assistants were utilized a time or two.

It's amazing to be able to look into the eyes of the "patient", while holding his/her hand and praying for him/her to be calm and at peace as Ana Lucia worked.  

She is always careful to ensure that they are comfortable and she certainly goes above and beyond the requirements of her role.  Technically, each person who comes through the "Brigade" is allowed only one service per day.  A person could be seen in medical one day and then come back the next day and be seen in dental.  When seen in dental, only one service is technically supposed to be done (a cleaning, a filling, a tooth extraction), however, Ana Lucia has often extracted multiple teeth in one person's mouth because she knows that it is for their benefit; she cannot stand to do only a little when she has the person right there and she is capable of doing more!

Last year, I remember well when a woman, Karla, came in with only seven bottom teeth.  They were SO BAD that all seven were extracted!  The woman was grateful!!  This year, I heard about another woman who had TEN teeth extracted!!

It was nearing the time of the day when we would have to stop seeing people and clean and pack everything up.  It's always hard when it gets to that point, especially if there are people still waiting to be seen.  Jen said it was nearing the end of the day and they weren't even supposed to be doing "Extractions" anymore but Ana Lucia became aware of a little girl and her mother who each needed a tooth extracted.

Ana Lucia went to Jon to request that she be allowed to do the extractions and Jon was very hesitant to approve the request and asked her how quickly she thought she could do it.  She replied they could be done in less than 30 minutes!  

The little girl's name is Raquel.  You'll read more about her in another post; she is such a sweetie and several of us spent as much time as we could with her and her siblings.  Raquel ran up to me as I was walking back into the building after being outside for a bit.  She was really excited and showing me inside her mouth where two of her bottom teeth were one right in front of the other (as if they were starting a line formation).  I determined that she might be waiting for an extraction and I took her with me over to one of the translators to confirm.  Sure enough, Raquel was about to have the "baby tooth" extracted so the adult tooth could find its rightful spot in her mouth.  I was astonished at how excited Raquel was ... sweet little thing wasn't truly aware of what was about to happen!

Here's Jen applying the numbing ointment before the novocaine 

injection took place.

Raquel became a little uneasy when she realized that she was going to have a shot but she only cried for a few seconds and she was relieved when she didn't really feel it at all.

Her mother sat with her holding her hand and Jen and Jon were on either side of her.  When her mother became uneasy with watching, she would look away or at me and I placed my hand upon her and assured her it was going to be okay.  

Afterwards, nearly the exact same thing happened except that Raquel sat with me while her mother had a molar extracted.  Raquel and her mother were very brave and we encouraged them about being "the same" and that they could take care of each other back at home.

Dental is a very rewarding place to serve and one can't help but feeling as though at the end of the day a new family has been formed.