So this is my tenth trip with FOTCOH. I have worked in Oral Surgery for 5 years and I have done the dental side but I have also done the medical side. I have so much love for both sides of the clinic. I get to see and experience so many different things. While both sides of the clinic are a necessity, there has always been one part of it that I have wished that I could make better. That part is the KIDS.
I have always wanted their experience to be pleasant and less stressful for them. It is scary enough walking into the dentist’s office at the age of 5 or 6 in the States, let alone walking into a room with a Dentist and his assistant in Haiti. We then proceed to ask you what tooth hurts and then they see needles. I don’t know about you but I’d be running out of there! I have never liked this and have always wished for a better way.
WELL thank you to Dr. Thomas Hall, DDS in Bloomington, Illinois who introduced Dr. Steve Doran, DMD to Advantage Arrest, a liquid which we are able to brush on molars of children and some young teens to STOP the cavity progression. This is so important here in Haiti because it is the mandibular abscesses that contribute to significant illnesses and have the potential to kill children as well as adults. This trip was the first time that we used this medication and we were able to treat so many children without causing them to be scared and stressed. Having this medication allowed us to spend more time with these kids and build a trust with them that will encourage them in the future to come back so that we are able to help them again. We were able to talk more about brushing and saw less tears. To me this was worth more than words can describe.
Maggie Baar