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DO GOOD: Smiles Across the Miles by Clark Downey, DDS

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by Clark Downey, DDS

A smile can go a long way—but a kind heart and a helping hand can go even further. After each of my seven dental missions in South America and Africa, this is the lesson I have come back with, time and time again.

My most recent trip in September 2014 took me to Engcobo, a small village in South Africa, where I was part of a team of five dentists who spent nearly a week treating almost 500 people. Residents walked for miles on dusty, hilly roads and stood in long lines just to get care.

In Engcobo, the majority of the population has almost nothing, financially or materially. Many citizens get by on less than $1 per day. The stark reality is that most of them live with constant dental pain—sometimes their teeth are literally rotting out of their mouths. In fact, my colleagues and I did almost 1,100 extractions in those five days. What struck me most was that the people we helped didn't care about missing teeth—they were just so relieved to be out of pain and clear of infection. I wish we could have done even more.

Paid in kindness
There's no amount of money that can equal the feeling you get when you help someone who can't help you back. As a dentist, that's especially true in areas of the world like Engcobo, where dental care is almost nonexistent and extractions are frequently done without the use of local anesthetic. Many came to us in desperation, camping overnight to wait for our services. Their gratitude was humbling.

I will never forget the big hug I got from an older patient right after I removed all of her teeth. Rather than being sad or angry about the fact that she needed full-mouth extractions, she was thankful to be free of excruciating pain.

Nor can I forget a young boy with a swollen face, his mouth infected with an abscessed tooth. What he and his family did not know was that this infection could have ended his life. All it took was routine dentistry to save him. Countless other children suffer the same way. Did you know that nearly 17,000 children around the world die every single day from preventable causes—including lack of dental care?



Making a difference—making it practical
When I looked into the faces of the people of Engcobo, I was struck by appreciation for my own healthy family, especially my two young children, Andrew and Olivia. I am lucky that I can get them the dental care they need, which is far from the case in the developing countries where I have volunteered. The kids I helped are somebody else's Andrew or Olivia—a sobering thought, to say the least.

That's why I encourage my colleagues to give themselves to philanthropy and take part in missions like this one. Even if they can't go abroad, there are plenty of people here at home who are also in dire need of access to dental care.

Finding time in a dentist's busy schedule can often be the toughest part in making "giving back" feasible, but having a team and a business that supports you in these moments can make all the difference. I'm lucky to be a part of an organization that feels the same way I do about volunteerism—last year alone, thousands of dentists, hygienists and other team members from Aspen Dental practices across the United States volunteered their time and talents to give free service around the country and abroad.

My mission experiences have affected me in a profound way, even here at home. I am acutely aware that the patients who call my office in pain are in desperate need of relief, and my team and I work hard to get them into our schedule quickly.

I look forward to future volunteer opportunities at home and abroad, and I truly believe that if we all give just a little, it can make a world of difference.



Dr. Clark Downey is a practicing dentist and owner of an Aspen Dental practice in Richmond, Indiana. He received his DDS from the University of Michigan in 2008. A leader in philanthropic and ministry outreach, Dr. Downey has been on several dental mission trips to provide free dental care in Africa, Central and South America.

Additionally, he helps provide free, comprehensive health care to those living in Swaziland, Africa, as a board member of The Luke Commission. Dr. Downey and his staff also cook and serve food to the homeless every other month through a partnership with Rock Solid Ministries. He was also instrumental in helping launch Aspen Dental’s national Healthy Mouth Movement last year.


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