They pay their own way
on these trips and bring their own instruments and
supplies. The overwhelming response from all who
have participated in volunteer trips overseas is the
sense of receiving much more from those who they
met and treated than they gave in their time and
expertise as dental professionals. The sense of appreciation
by those they treated was amazing.
Closer to home, many more Townies volunteer at
local community free clinics, providing a half day
here and there, or some find time to volunteer on a
weekly or monthly basis. Clinics close to home need
your volunteer services as much as those far away. The
dental needs found in third-world countries are also
found in our own neighborhoods. Dental hygiene
and dental students often learn about local free clinics
through rotations in these clinics. Several Townies
have participated in large community-based RAM or
Remote Area Medical clinics. First designed to bring
medical and dental care to rural areas, RAM also provides
10-day clinics in cities like Los Angeles, with
hundreds of dental volunteers. Others are part of an
entire dental team that opens the office one day each
year to provide free dental care to those in need as
their own community service or through a state or
national program like Give Kids A Smile.
Townies are also generous with their time, taking
the prevention message to daycare centers, schools
and senior centers. They teach preschoolers what to
expect when visiting the dental hygienist for the first
time, complete with gloves for them to wear. Others
use puppets to teach grade-school children oral
hygiene and to bring in nutrition, they build a pizza
using healthy foods. Education is fundamental to prevention
and Townies teach teenagers about the dangers
of sour, tart, tangy, acid candies, gums, mints,
sports drinks and fruit-flavored waters. To senior centers,
Townies bring the news of xylitol, a sweet way to
reduce bacterial biofilm in the mouth. The messages
are adapted to the age of the audience bringing information
and fun to the experience.
Personally I donate time, money and services to
AD World Health, a foundation begun by my stepson
and daughter-in-law. I serve on the board of
directors as the secretary and have traveled to India to
perform dental screenings and teach the children and
adults basic oral hygiene at the Manjushree orphanage
in Tawang, India on the India/China border at
10,000 feet. AD World Health, located in Los
Angeles, California, is currently building a medical/dental
clinic locally to provide care to underserved
people in the Los Angeles area. AD World Health
provides needed medical and dental care at the same
time as providing an educational experience for medical,
dental and dental hygiene students.
We are blessed to be in the dental profession, able
to help others and provide for ourselves and our families.
You might give back with your time, clinical
services, equipment and supply donations or monetarily.
However you decide to give back, your donations
are sincerely appreciated and make a difference
in the lives of others. Thank you for your generosity
and caring. We have much to be thankful for in our
lives. Giving back is second nature to dental professionals,
and it turns out, you don't have to go far from
your own front door to find somewhere to help.
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