Monday, April 20, 2015

Dental Mission to Belize, 2014

Dental missions are a great way to help those who do not have access to routine dental care
What an awesome team! We loved working with everyone!
This past November, East Berlin Smiles teamed up with International Health Outreach and traveled to Orange Walk Town, Belize for a dental mission.  Our entire staff at East Berlin Smiles went, including Dr. Cockley.  We had the privilege of learning new techniques for glass ionomer restorations and how to incorporate ozone therapy in our patient's treatment.  
Dental Assisting Divas love providing dental care to the people of Belize
Amber and Gina - the inseparable duo


This dental mission was unique in the fact that our goal was to treat each patient as comprehensively as possible. All patients received  ultrasonic scaling and several restorations (if needed) to get them back to dental health. Education was also a key part of our mission and we gave needed supplies like toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss. Our patients were then referred to their local dentist who partnered with us for their continued care.  We were able to treat 336 patients, 96 children, and saved over 5,000 teeth!




The people of Belize are amazing - So welcoming and friendly and appreciative of the treatment we provided. As of now, we plan to return in November of this year for another mission to a different district in Belize. If you ever get the chance to go on a dental mission - go! You won't regret it.  It's a great chance to  network with other amazing people in the dental field and to use your talents and skills to give back.