Dr.
Brent Fairbanks in Honduras
For some time now I’ve
had a desire to get involved in an outreach
program to provide dental care to people in
need. Now that our children are grown and
becoming more independent, my wife Julie,
and I decided that the time was right. So,
along with our daughter Sarah, we joined a
group of volunteers sponsored by Kindness
in Action, an organization started by an Alberta
dentist in St. Paul, Emil Shapka.
Loaded down with portable
dental equipment and supplies, about twenty
of us left our Calgary dental practices to
travel to Honduras. While there, we visited
small rural communities, set up makeshift
dental offices and provided as much care as
possible.
Usually a small three-room
school house was temporarily converted into:
one room for extraction; one room for fillings
and one room for cleaning and oral hygiene
instruction.
Although we didn't speak
the language and we weren't in comfortable
dental offices, it was gratifying to do something
for the people that they weren't able to do
for themselves. It's interesting to me how
quickly we felt a strong connection and deep
concern for people that we had never met and
may never see again.
The dentistry that we did
was mostly relief-from-pain and control of
infection. For many, we were the first dentists
that they had seen and the need was great.
On our return, when I mentioned
the Honduras trip to patients in Calgary,
it was heartwarming to hear how many of them
would also like to get involved in the project.
This experience enriched
our lives, touched our hearts, left a lasting
impression and gave us a desire to do it again.
We look forward to doing so as soon as possible.
For more information about
future projects, please feel free to contact
me at the office or on
the web.
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