PROFESSION
After roller skating between three chairs in four satellite dental offices in Northern Minnesota all at the same time for 26 years, I retired from this very active dental practice to accept a volunteer dental program on the Amazon River in Brazil, South America.
It was pitch dark! Our little riverboat traveled all day and half the night from Santarem, Brazil to a small fishing village called Uruari. We slept half the night in hammocks, hung so close together, Joyce’s foot from one hammock jabbed my face next to her, as the riverboat rocked back and forth on its journey up the Amazon.
A flashlight gleaming in our eyes awakened us, beckoning us that it was time to leave the boat. The bow of the riverboat jammed into a muddy bank and a narrow gangplank was dropped from the boat to the bank, where Joyce and I carefully made our way into the jungle of the Amazon.
After about an hour of cautiously walking through the darkness, we arrived at a small, thatched hut, where the only furniture was two more hammocks. Tired and weary, we climbed into the hammocks and continued our sleep through the rest of the night. A nearby rooster summoned the beginning of our first day of volunteer dentistry in the little town of Uruari on the banks of the Amazon River.
With my wife Joyce as my assistant, our typical day at the dental chair in Uruari began at seven in the morning, working until eleven, then lunch and siesta until one and working again until five. During this eight-hour day, we would see about twenty-five patients – mostly kids in severe pain. Extracting baby teeth from preschoolers, first permanent molars from six-year olds and bicuspids from teenagers - a most discouraging task! Once in a while, we were fortunate to catch a six-year molar in time to save it. There were two reasons why their teeth were so bad – sucking on sugar cane all day long and the lack of fluoride in their diet. We tried to preach the benefits of fluoride. However, their religious beliefs and lack of funding prevented that from ever happening.
After a day of extracting teeth in the hot sun, we asked if we could go swimming in the Amazon. Their answer was, watch out for stingrays in the shallow water and piranhas in the deep water. Nevertheless, we followed the native kids wherever they swam and enjoyed the cool waters.
When asked to return to the Amazon the following year, we declined the offer, knowing we had just as many needy and indigent residents who needed dental care here in our Leech Lake Area. Therefore, for the past 27 years, we have been doing volunteer dentistry in Northern Minnesota and as a member of the Minnesota Dental Association, the Department of Human Services has classified our office as a Critical Access Provider. We are also members of the Minnesota Association of Community Dentistry, whose mission is to promote oral health as an essential component of general health for all Minnesotans with an emphasis on the under-served. As a member of the American Dental Association, our office also participates in their Donated Dental Service, where we treat not only the indigent but also the handicapped. Accolades from the following shown below, along with praise of thankfulness, smiles and occasional hugs from appreciative patients are payment enough for years of charitable service.
"I wish to extend my sincere thanks to you for your interest in developing the Donated Dental Service Program in Minnesota."
- Governor Tim Pawlenty |
"Thank you for providing high demand Medical Assistance, Minnesota Care and other volunteer dental services in our area."
- Senator Anthony G. Kinkel |
"I admire your working with a community in which dental disease is almost inconceivable to many in private practice."
-Deb Jacobi, Director, MACD
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