Day 7 - Friday March 1, 2013 THIRD CLINIC DAY - GO CONG DONG District, KIENG PHUOC Elementary School

Our team and the local Red Cross helpers can rearrange a classroom into our dental clinic in no time by the third day, this classroom is quite small but we make it work just the same.

Padraic keeps the sterilization station nice and neat, this is a very important station, we all depend on the instruments to be able to treat the kids as efficient as possible.

Van also take care of the sterilization station, preparing the syringes, but seeing Dr. Hue needs some light to work on the kids, Van gladly takes on the assistant job as well, what a happy family!

This little girl is 11 years old in 5th grade.  One permanent molar needed to be removed, I had to give her a mandibular block, it's a big shot for these little kids, but she didn't even flinch, more brave than most adults I see in my private practice.  She has 2 small cavities on other permanent molars so I asked her if she can go home and bring her mother or father to see us so we can give her parents the money for her to go get the fillings done, there is a private dentist in the next town.  Then I find out that she lives in a fishing village, her mother sorts shrimp and her father works on the fishing boat, they leave for work before sunrise each day and the mother doesn't get home until late.afternoon.  She takes care of her 2 younger siblings, she rides the bike to school, carries her 5 year old sister and drops her off at the kindergarten school before getting to her elementary school, her 9 year old sister also ride the bike to school with her at 7 am every morning.  At 10:30am break, she picks up her sister at kindergarten class and all 3 of them ride home on the two bikes.  She heats up some rice and food that her mother cooked the day before, all 3 kids eat lunch, take a nap, and ride the bike back to school from 2 - 4:30pm.  I don't know of any little 11 years old kid that is this responsible, this helpful to her family, this brave and sweet in my private practice in the US.  One of Robin's patient donated $100 to help some kids, well, that generous donation goes to help many kids like this little girl so that they can get to keep their teeth for a life time.  There is no better gift than a gift of good health.

If the parents are not home, we ask the children to bring a grandparent, uncle or aunt or an adult cousin in the family so we can explain about the dental fillings that the child needs to have done in the main city of this district, we provide the money to cover the cost of the fillings if the parent agrees to take the child to the dentist and bring back the receipt to the school principle.These two grandmothers walk very slow and with a limp, yet they walk to our clinic to accept the money and will make sure that their grandchild will get the fillings done.  We are not set up to do fillings but we can give the children money to get the dental fillings if there is a dentist in the next town.

Big blackboard, small blackboard, or no blackboard, out on the front porch, under a tree, or inside a classroom, it doesn't matter, dental health education session is held every afternoon and we can always make it work.