Dental is a Luxury

Getting a dental checkup is a luxury for many people in India. Recently the children at Rising Star had a teeth screening and many were referred for additional dental care due to having a cavity or needing a tooth pulled. The children were very excited and appreciative of this. Most of them, until they came to live at Rising Star, had never seen a dentist. This is because they are from a leprosy affected family or they do not have the money. 

Scorpion team with our brave dental patients

On our medical rotation we took the children that were being referred to the dentist to get their teeth worked on. Each volunteer was assigned to a child to escort them through the process and show moral support.



  

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Vino

I was assigned to Vinodhini. She is in the house of girls Quincy and I share. We know each other pretty well. Everyone calls her Vino, the “I” is pronounced like a long e. She was having a cavity filled and she was one brave cookie.





This is dirt around the dental chair...ugh.

One thing about India that is very different from the U.S. is that the cleanliness and privacy standards are quite a bit lower. There were about 20 different dental chairs in a huge room. It wasn’t like how when we go to the dentist and you get your own little private cubicle to have your teeth worked on. The floors were not clean and the equipment is just rinsed off in between patients. Sterilizing is a hit and miss deal. Although the floor isn’t clean, they make you take your shoes off before you go in that room to walk on their dirty floor. Sometimes things like that seem so conflicted in this country.



This young girl was so tough. Before she got her tooth filled they put the swab in her mouth to make it go a little bit numb. In the U.S. we would have that done prior to getting a shot. In India they bypass the shot and the patient just bears the pain. I could tell it was uncomfortable as her feet were curling up and her eyes were watering, but she toughed it out and got the work done.

 I was glad I was there to comfort her. At times like this is when I am sure these kids miss their parents. I hope that I was a comfort to her. I have to say this was another one of those thankful moments I had for being able to go to a dentist that I absolutely love ( that’s you, Rose HoldrenJ) and having the luxury of going whenever necessary. Sometimes the little things I take for granted are so huge for people here.