One of my first thoughts on my flight back from this study abroad experience, was “how do I even describe these incredibly profound experiences to people who were not there to experience it?” How do I describe the pure warmth I felt from working with such kind and grateful people every day? The indescribable kindling that sparks within from being able to give service to those who need it so desperately. I don’t believe I will ever be able to fully articulate the incredible 10 days I spent in the Bahamas on this dental mission; but I certainly will try. This was my first time in the Bahamas, and my first dental mission, so I was very eager to begin this journey. The organization we were volunteering with has been operating in the Caribbean for over a decade, but this was their inaugural program in the Bahamas. They ran into a few bumps with logistics on where we could set up clinics, but we went into the week with open minds and laid-back attitudes, and everything was worked out well. Us students were lucky enough to be able to rotate between three different clinic sites: a primary school, a prison, and a staff clinic at Sandals resort for the employees. All of which were created as clinics for the week because they were populations that had a great need for dental services.
The primary school allowed to place countless cavity preventing sealants for so many kids who do not have access to regular dental care. Those sealants can last for years to help prevent cavities/decay which is the number one chronic childhood disease. We also worked with these amazing children on overcoming dental anxiety and giving them a positive first experience at the dentist. The prison and staff clinics were such great experiences because we were seeing endless numbers of patients who had never been to the dentist or had a cleaning before. From seeing their hesitation and nervousness as they first sat down in our chairs, to the enormous smiles on their faces as they were shown the results of their first cleaning… what a transformation.
My favorite part was getting to share our knowledge and educate our patients on how to best take care of their oral health and set them up for success for the future. As lucky as we were to be able to stay on such beautiful island such as Nassau, there was nothing more beautiful than the memories, connections, friendships, and experiences that were created in this short amount of time. It is a trip I will carry in my heart for the rest of my life, and I can’t wait to have another chance to build on that experience.
– Kaitlyn, SPC Bahamas Dental Study Abroad Program, January 2025
Source link
All Materials on this website/blog are only for Learning & Educational purposes. It is strictly recommended to buy the products from the original owner/publisher of these products. Our intention is not to infringe any copyright policy. If you are the copyright holder of any of the content uploaded on this site and don’t want it to be here. Instead of taking any other action, please contact us. Your complaint would be honored, and the highlighted content will be removed instantly.