M.O.M.

t-shirt

I've had the opportunity to collect 7 of the 8 t-shirts volunteering as an interpreter for Wisconsin's annual  Free Dental clinic Mission of Mercy, M.O.M.  The first was held in La Crosse (2009) followed by Sheboygan, Wausau, Madison, Lake Geneva, Green Bay, Fond du Lac ( I missed last year's) and this year in Eau Claire. 

The face of poverty is truly reflected in the mouth as most of MOM's patients have either never/very seldom visited a dentist's office due to limited income. All the services provided are free at M.O.M. as the 1000 volunteers are either dentists, hygienists, assistants, techs, interpreters, etc...  who come from over 190 Wisconsin communities. Sponsors including private individuals donate supplies for the annual $1 million of care. Local restaurants even donate food to feed the volunteers for daily meals and snacks.  Even with all the generosity usually this program is short about $20,000. 

Our patient numbers may have been down this year but services rendered could be more per patient. Extractions were up and there was a much longer wait for fillings (about three hours on Sat.) Some families were there all day. 

It's a time when I have used mostly Spanish but have been able to dust off the cobwebs of German for the Amish and Chinese. My usage of dental terminology has definitely improved having worked in the MASH set upWelcoming Limited English speakers, interpreting initial questions as to concerns, their last dental visit, etc... Dental Care questions with instructional tooth brushing and flossing, in registration: helping  patients complete forms, Triage: asking questions about blood pressure/meds, diabetes and general health/ pains... Cleaning, Fillings, Extractions in both adult & children sections,  the Exit Survey and this was my first year to also be called into Prosthetics.

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Due to lack of dental education, care and  fluoride from an early age there are many young adults with many issues including cavities/ missing teeth. Due to the time only
constructing bridges and flippers are possible. 

Flipper

"Flippers" are acrylic and not durable enough for back teeth but are easily insertable/  removable for missing front teeth. To witness the joy of  having these front space/s filled was very emotional. One knows their lives will change as a result of being able to smile a confident smile. One latina in her 20's asked for the mirror over and over again to look at her new smile. Priceless.

The sad part is there are still so many state residents who still need care and next year there will be no M.O.M. Unfortunately, no city stepped up in time to plan for next year's event. A sponsoring city has to be able to not only have a site large enough, lodging  possibilities for all its volunteers and also sponsors . It's a very huge job. Hopefully, one of the 2 city possibilities are in the making for June 2018.

In the meanwhile we need to keep working on our legislators to include dental care in the healthcare package for all of our citizens as mouth disease causes other health related issues.

Remember Mission of Mercy's motto:
It’s the smiles – not the miles – that make it a mission!