Smiles Restored

This week, we would like to highlight a smile that was completely transformed!  During our Southern Mission in the Takua Pa District of Phang Nga Province, we were lucky to have Dr. Atul Patel from California  and Lori Helmer from Wisconsin join the team.  Dr. Patel and Lori were able to provide our patient with a dental filling forming a new, beautiful, and confident smile!  Keep in mind, we completed 365 fillings in less than two weeks in January - our volunteers were very hard at work!

To see more pictures of transformed smiles from the January 2011 Missions, check out our Facebook Photo Albums here!

Khob Khun Kha!

Dr. Usa Bunnag with students from the R21 school in Mae Hong Son


Khob Khun Kha (Thank you) to all the volunteers, staff and partners that made the January 2011 Mission possible.  With one week in Mae Hong Son and one week in Phang-nga we were able to treat an extraordinary amount of children at the R21 and R35 schools.  

Final Mission Stats: 

Total Patients: 270

Total Restorative Patients: 203

Total Hygiene Patients: 212

Total Fillings: 365 on 113 patients

Total Sealants: 696 on 150 patients

Total Scalings (Cleanings): 212

The students and school staff were extremely grateful for the treatment they received.  Preventive and restorative treatment left everyone smiling.  We will return in July to continue treatment for our current patients who are still in need as well as treat new patients at the schools and nearby orphanages.  Make sure to "Follow" us to hear post-mission stories and updates from the SOW family.  

Sam Jacobs and Dr. Atul Patel instructing students on how to teach their  peers to brush properly

Successful week in Phang Nga

Our week in the Takua Pa District of Phang Nga Province has been going by very quickly. The Smiles on Wings dental team has worked diligently through 12-hour days to provide care for the students, staff, and surrounding members of this community.

From Monday, January 25th to Wednesday, January 27th:

Our team was able to provide care for 87 patients, performing

199 fillings

258 sealants

67 scalings

A special applause goes to Dr. John Kastendiek and his wonderful assistant Lori, who completed 110 fillings on 23 patients in one day.  (Yes, 110!!) Their efforts are much appreciated by the patients who were in great need of their services.  Dr. Patel took time out of his busy schedule of placing sealants and fillings to provide oral hygiene instructions to a group of students. His brushing demonstrations on our favorite donkey model were effective and our assistants got to practice their new skills of teaching others about dental health throughout the afternoon.

Blue and yellow day

Today is our third day in the clinic and each day the kids wear different colored shirts depending on the activity of the day. Yesterday was sports day and all had these wonderfully bright colored shirts, yellow, lime green, sky blue and pink!

At home we always joked with patients that if they lost a temporary or had a dental problem while away on vacation we could always set up a beach chair and take care of them! We were only able to bring down two dental chairs so we improvised with what the school had available. Well the beach chair actually works!! The kids are great and once settled into the chair we can do exams, sealants and hygiene. For most of the kids it is dental education that is most needed and having a regular team come to the school will benefit them all for years to come. The older children are a great help and are very interested in what we are doing and love to assist! They get the biggest kick out of hearing us try to pronounce the very difficult Thai words- I feel I have to scrunch up my face to make the sounds!

This morning I worked in the restorative section with Lori who is awesome and rises to the task no matter what challenges we may have- from a very ticklish patient to mechanical problems! We have plans to work until 8:30 pm for three days to try and accommodate everyone- all are so patient in waiting their turn and between the large screen TV and many drawing stations they pass the time. It has been a wonderful experience so far and appreciate all the help received by everyone!!

written by Dr. Susan A. Grimes, Vermont

Similan Islands

 

Several team members arrived in the Phang-nga Province on Saturday.  We took the opportunity to do some local sightseeing while waiting for the remainder of the SOW team to arrive.  The Similan Islands are a chain of nine islands located one hour west by speedboat.  The islands offered a spectacular playground having many options such as snorkeling, hiking, swimming, sunbathing and multiple photo-ops.  We also spotted some unique wildlife, such as fruit bats and marine life.  My favorite was the unicorn fish.  

This is my third mission to the Phang-nga province and am again thankful that I am able to bring my son along on the missions.  Bryce and I have enjoyed the island tour and bonding with the mission team.  Tomorrow we will continue working at the 35th King's Foundation School which was rebuilt after being demolished in the 2004 tsunami.   

Written by dental hygienist Bonnie Mougey - Bangkok, Thailand 

And we're back!

After several internet-less days and a few cold showers out of a bucket, I am back with plenty of updates!  The SOW team traveled 1500 kilometers south to the Phang-nga province of Thailand.  Before I tell you a little bit about what we are up to in the south, please take a minute to read our final stats from the northern mission. In four short days, our team was able to complete a tremendous amount of much needed dental treatment on the 1st-12th grade students of the 21st King's Foundation School in Mae Hong Son: 

Northern Mission Statistics, January 17-20, 2011

Total Patients - 143

Restorative Patients - 107

Hygiene Patients - 119

69 fillings on 33 patients

337 sealants on 94 patients

120 scalings

7 extractions 

We are now in the Takua Pa district of the Phang-nga province working diligently at the 35th King's Foundation School.  Two of the dentists from our northern team flew home to the states and we have been joined by Dr. Susan Grimes from Vermont as well as Dr. Atul Patel from California. Half of our group is lodging at a nearby hotel and the other half is staying at the principal's guest house on campus at the school.  Geckos and other creepy crawlers are making sure to follow the team members to wherever they have chosen to sleep!

Our new Smiles on Wings' team!

This is SOW's third visit to the 35th School and this leg of the mission is sponsored by a grant from the American Dental Association Foundation's Tsunami Reconstruction Fund.  The 35th School was completely destroyed by the 2004 tsunami and has been beautifully rebuilt.  The new facilities are built on much higher ground in case another disaster should occur.  The school offers boarding for 700 students and also has an additional 100 day students.   

Our dentists are busy treating the students from the school and will work late each night to treat youngsters from a local orphanage.  We are lucky to have the older students from the school help our team with all parts of the mission including: screening, registration, and assisting. Stay tuned to hear updates from our team as well as the student helpers!  Please feel free to leave comments about our mission or ask questions to our team members.  

~ Raina  

Goodbye Mae Hong Sorn

Fourth Day Stats (1/2 day):

46 sealants (8 patients)

15 fillings (7 patients)

30 scalings (cleanings) 1 extraction

The first half of our mission is complete!  We worked for four days at the 21st King's Foundation School in the Mae Hong Sorn province.  Our whole team feels very privileged to have worked with the students, teachers and local hospital staff.  Each person we met was incredibly kind and hospitable.  We ate like royalty each day at the school. The children were extremely grateful for the dental care they were received and were exceptionally  brave even during scary procedures such as fillings and extractions.  We were able to treat many children who would otherwise never see a dentist.  In addition to cleanings and fillings, the majority of the students received sealants for extra protection against cavities for the next several years.

Dr. John Savukinas and assistant Lori fill a young girl's cavities.

As a special goodbye activity our team threw an early Valentine's Day party for the 12-16 year old class in the first level of English.  The party began with dental trivia (to make sure they were paying attention all week!) and then we taught them how to make Valentine's Day cards and write special notes to each other.  The students loved cutting out hearts and creating beautiful, unique cards.  With a little encouragement it became obvious that they knew much more English than they let on.  They were teaching us how to spell their names in English!

Sam receives a special valentine from a student. 

I am very grateful to our Smiles on Wings team.  Each team member worked tirelessly each day to see as many patients as possible.  I am very lucky to have worked with such a dedicated, passionate and talented group of individuals.  Without volunteers such as themselves our organization would not be able to continue.  Thank you the January 2011 Northern Mission team!

On Sunday we will begin our mission in the Phang-nga province of Southern Thailand.  We will set up our clinic at the 35th King's Foundation School.  Please check in to hear stories from our new team!

Written by Raina Goldstein from Bethesda, MD, Executive Director, Smiles on Wings