Helping the least of these

It’s Groundhog Day. The furry little guy saw his shadow and scurried back into his hole. Maybe he saw his shadow or maybe he was just frightened. It’s a scary world out there.

There are many reasons to put our heads in the sand and pretend things aren’t happening. Today, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Pocatello Free Dental Clinic. I was told that there are only a handful of free dental clinics in the United States—compare that to the hundreds of free medical clinics. Unfortunately, there are not many dentists that will treat patients for free and it is difficult at best to find a dentist that will treat Medicaid/Welfare patients due to minimal reimbursements.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I arrived. The clinic is run by two Idaho State University graduate students. All of the donated equipment is used and outdated, but still usable. There was a new autoclave and a new composite light purchased by donated monies, but the lone chair was a Pelton-Crane 1970’s model. We saw five patients. The first two were for exam/consultations. Hygiene services were not planned, so I was the only assistant. After exposing the necessary radiographs, I developed them one at a time in the ‘dip tank’ processor box—6-oz. Dixie cups. One patient had a broken full maxillary denture that had been repaired numerous times with Bondo adhesive and six mandibular anterior teeth with severe decay and bone loss. This lady had not eaten solid food in seven months! All she wanted was someone to fix her denture or help her get a new one. The next two patients were there for fillings. One man presented with severe decay on the facial of tooth No. 8. He had not been able to get a full time job and had no insurance. When we finished restoring his tooth we let him look in the patient mirror; he started crying and thanked us for helping him. I really think we gave him more than just a filling. It felt so good to see him smile. He came back one hour later and donated $150 to the clinic.

Our last patient was a 9-year-old boy with severe ADHD. He was on numerous medications that were taking a toll on his teeth. Three out of his four first permanent molars were severely decayed and had draining fistulas. Most of the remaining primary teeth had significant decay. His father had obvious dental problems as well but just wanted us to help his son. He had been to four different dental offices that would only treat his son if he paid up front at a minimum of $1000 (due to the fact that sedation would be necessary). Our clinic isn’t equipped to do any sedation cases, but we were able to get him into our local dental residency program at Idaho State University.

My heart went out to this dad and his son. I’m not sure whose eyes were welling up more, mine or the dad's. I know for a fact that these are not isolated cases. Many people, especially children, go without dental care.

The American Dental Hygienists Association has developed the concept of the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner. modeled after nurse practitioners. There are so many people that we will help when the ADHP becomes a reality. As a hygienist and a mother, it saddens me to see these children in pain and their parents in despair. We will make a difference.

Welcome to my life,
Lisa