Teamwork leads to new smiles at D.C. Dental Society GKAS
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Posted Feb. 6, 2009 |
By Craig Palmer Washington—The anatomy of a smile.
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Done for the day: Five Bancroft Elementary School students show off their smiles at Howard University Feb. 6 after their clinic visit. (Photos by Bill Geiger)
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"Welcome to the College of Dentistry. We smile with you." The children bused to Howard University from Bancroft Elementary School for the 7th annual D.C. Dental Society's Give Kids A Smile day, the volunteers, dentists, faculty, students, dental staff, they all passed the bright, colorful welcoming sign in the reception area.
But how they got to the dental school this sunny winter morn, and into the afternoon, is a tale of many hands or, as Dr. Michael Blicher, DCDS president put it, "It takes a lot of teamwork. We have a great response from our membership, over 45 volunteer dentists, many of them here those seven years, some 35 staff members from their offices. Howard arranges for us to use the clinic. The students and the pediatric residents are on call for us. It's just a tremendous response."
Dr. Leo E. Rouse, dental dean, set the scene in announcing a memorial to the boy who died from complications of an untreated oral abscess, 12-year-old Deamonte Driver. Howard University sits hard by the U.S. Capitol, where they've held hearings on access to dental care and introduced legislation in the name of the boy from nearby Prince George's County, Md. His mother chose the location for the memorial plaque the Howard College of Dentistry will place this spring. "We want to be a safety net for children," said Dr. Rouse.
Third- and fourth-year dental students alongside DC dentists offered preventive services, teeth cleaning, fluoride and sealants. Upstairs, Dr. Melanie Thwaites' pediatric residents were handling "the more challenging" pulpotomies and restoratives. And every child went through the tooth brushing puppet show patient education offered by Keidi Carter and her fellow first year dental hygiene students under the watchful eye of Dani Dougan, a hygiene instructor and Howard grad.
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| Ready, set, go: Dr. Michael Blicher (right) District of Columbia Dental Society president and Dr. Leo E. Rouse, Howard dental dean, prep volunteers Feb. 6 before the children arrive for Give Kids A Smile at the Howard University College of Dentistry. |
And you still haven't met the full team, the children's escorts, including Howard pre-dental and community service students, community volunteers, the Bancroft School folks, and we'll no doubt miss others in describing the anatomy of a smile. Dr. Donna Grant-Mills is one of the local GKAS coordinators, and she talks of the professional, student and community organizations she works with. Dr. Alan Singer, an oral surgeon, speaks of those administrative details that must be attended to.
So what's all it about, Dr. John Drumm? "I had three patients today. First was a cleaning and fluoride treatment, and that was the easiest, and the second restoratives, three fillings. I love the kids and I love the interaction. I get to work with the dental students. It's good experience for them and it's good for me to see the future of dentistry. My third case was my challenge for the day. He only spoke Spanish and he had rampant decay in his front teeth. We filled in four front teeth today and he left with a smile.
"We literally gave Daniel a new smile."
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