Local Heroes

Dentists Who Make a Difference

By Jan Maxwell

While most of us don’t look forward to visiting the dentist, there are millions of people around the world who would give anything to sit down in a dental chair. Coping with infected teeth and aching jaws, these people live in remote areas where the word “toothbrush” is not in their vocabulary. Many must wait for months, if not years, to get even the most basic dental care.

Fortunately, some of the most poverty-stricken areas of the world are beginning to get help as an increasing number of dental professionals step up and volunteer. From pulling teeth to providing much-needed dentures, volunteer dentists often work in primitive conditions to bring smiles to people who haven’t smiled in a long time.

Northern Virginia boasts a number of professionals who have reached out to help those in desperate need of dental assistance. From the water-logged streets of New Orleans to the mountain villages of Haiti to the under-served areas of our own state, dental volunteers from Northern Virginia have given up vacations and paid their own way to travel to places where the need is the greatest.

“I Just Want to Try and Make the World a Better Place.”

Dr. Michael Morch of Woodbridge has been providing volunteer dental services for over 10 years. Working primarily through Medical Missionaries, a group of physicians and dental professionals who travel to Haiti and the Dominican Republic each year, Morch has seen firsthand how poverty affects basic dental care.

Carrying portable dental units, Morch and his companions hike into the mountains, find a village and set up shop. Word spreads quickly that they have arrived and long lines rapidly form. One by one, patients take their place in the makeshift dental chair and have their aching teeth removed. On some trips, Dr. Morch and his companions extract over 1,500 teeth.

Preventative care is not an option in most third-world countries, since toothbrushes are virtually non-existent. Even fillings are rarely done.

“It’s too time consuming,” Morch said. “We see over 100 people a day, so all we have time to do is pull teeth.”

Dr. Gilbert Irwin, a Manassas physician who started Medical Missionaries over 10 years ago with a handful of doctors, was delighted to add dentists to his group.
“Before Dr. Morch and others came along, we had a urologist pulling teeth,” Irwin said.

In response to the increasing demand for help and to build continuity, Medical Missionaries has just finished building a permanent clinic in Haiti. In addition to providing much-needed medical assistance, the clinic will be able to provide both emergency and preventative dental care in a dedicated suite. 
“For the Few You Touch, it’s Everything”
Dr. Jeff Massie of Marshall wanted to provide volunteer assistance since dental school, and he finally got the opportunity with Medical Missionaries. In addition to the group’s annual trip to Haiti, Massie also tries to make a church-sponsored trip to Kenya each year. He relishes every moment that he is able to help someone, like the villager who got his first good night’s sleep in 10 years after he had a bad tooth extracted.

Like Dr. Morch, Dr. Massie finds that emergency care is all he can provide in remote locations.

“There is very limited electricity,” Massie said. “Even if I wanted to drill, I couldn’t.”

Once it is known that dentists are on their way, word-of-mouth advertising insures a steady stream of patients, including some who walk days for treatment.

“When we show up, there are already long lines of people waiting for help,” Massie said.

Because of the lack of trained dental professionals in third-world countries, Massie and others like him provide the only dental care that most of the villagers will see for some time. Getting equipment and supplies into some of the most remote regions is difficult, so Massie and his volunteer partners carry everything they need with them, and they use up all of their supplies before they leave.

Volunteering has become a very important part of Dr. Massie’s life. “I love it,” he said, “and I hope to continue as long as I can.”

Closer to Home
It’s not only third-world villagers who are in desperate need of dental care. Many Virginia residents often go without even the most basic services. That’s where organizations like the Virginia Dental Association step in. Through a variety of programs, the Association reaches out to the under-served population of the state, providing them with much-needed dental care.

Since its inception, the Mission of Mercy, or MOM project, has provided dental services to over 20,000 patients in under-served areas of the state. This outreach has broken records for the largest short-term dental clinics ever conducted in the United States.

Volunteer dentists also participate in “Give Kids a Smile,” a once-a-year opportunity for low-income children across the state to receive free dental services and Donated Dental Services, a program that allows qualified individuals to visit local dentist offices and receive treatment at substantially reduced rates.

The Virginia Dental Association reached out to a sister state last year. Over 40 dental professionals joined together to set up temporary clinics in Louisiana for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Information about all of these programs, and how to receive volunteer treatment, can be found at the Virginia Dental Association’s Web site, www.vadental.org.

Volunteer Clinic
Area residents who qualify can receive quality dental treatments at the Northern Virginia Dental Clinic in Falls Church. Although not all services are available, eligible patients can receive basic dental care at substantially reduced prices. The clinic is open to residents of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Counties, as well as the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church. Information about the volunteer clinic can be found at the Web site of the Northern Virginia Dental Society; www.nvds.org.

If you would like to volunteer your professional services, provide equipment and supplies, or make a cash contribution to one of these excellent organizations, please contact them directly.

Medical Missionaries
9590 Surveyor Court, Manassas; 703-361-5116; www.medicalmissionaries.info

Northern Virginia Dental Clinic
5827 Columbia Pike, Suite # 405, Falls Church; 703-820-7170; www.nvds.org

Virginia Dental Association
7525 Staples Mill Road, Richmond; 804-261-1610; www.vadental.org
Needs “gently-used” teddy bears/stuffed animals to distribute to children receiving dental care, equipment and supplies, or monetary contributions. Checks should be made out to the Virginia Dental Health Foundation.

(May 2007)

Tags: Dentist, Health & Beauty