Bethanie Baird, TCC Dental Hygiene student, visited Nicaragua this summer where she and other students cleaned patients' teeth. Below, she shares her experience with us.
After
arriving in Managua, Nicaragua's capital city and the location of the airport,
my first emotion was shock. Seeing so many buildings and homes with only
two walls and dirt floors was so unthinkable to me. The massive amounts of
trash and debris on the side of the roads were unbelievable. The most
heartbreaking sight was the animals, or walking skeletons. I had never seen
anything like this in my life. I admit, I was very nervous and I never thought
I would survive a whole week there. After meeting our driver, Juan Pablo and
the dentist we would be working alongside, Dr. Sampson, I soon realized
the people were nothing as I expected.
My first
experience cleaning teeth was that following day. I had seen pictures and a
video of the working conditions prior to the trip, but it is nothing one can
imagine until it is experienced firsthand. The patients sat in lawn chairs, and
we stood either behind them, or we would squat beside them to see inside their
mouths. We worked outside in the blistering heat, and after every patient
we would have to wipe the sweat from our faces. The amount of decay and
tartar these patients had was unbelievable, even on children as young as two.
Some of the patients had never even owned a toothbrush, something
we don't think about in the United States. We traveled
to different cities and "sectors" as they are called, and
after four days of cleaning teeth and applying fluoride to children,
we counted approximately 360 patients we treated. We also had the
opportunity to visit a nutrition center - this is where parents sent
their children if they were malnourished and could not afford to feed them. I
think we all left in tears that day. A total eye-opening experience.
These
people were the kindest individuals I have ever met. They were so appreciative
of our services to them and did not complain at all, even though they were
in obvious pain. The procedures we performed on some patients would require
local anesthesia in our clinic, and these patients did not have anything
to numb them. They had a whole attitude of "my house is
your house" and welcomed us everywhere with open arms. I
fell in love with the culture while I was down there. Family is very important
to them, and they are so trusting of one another. It was amazing to me to see
people who have so little, be so grateful and so proud of what they do
have. After spending a whole week without things I never thought I could
live without (air conditioning, hot water, flushing toilets,
technology), I started looking at things from a different
perspective once I arrived back to the U.S. I wish everybody could
have the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua and learn from the people and their
way of life.
Pictured above: Dental Hygiene students clean teeth in Nicaragua during summer 2012.
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