It's Like Pulling Teeth!

What a day, what a day. It was a jam packed day from the dental team, extracting teeth from crying toddlers to modifying dentures for grandmothers. It was real eye opener for me, being just a second year dental student. Let's just say there were a lot of firsts for me, and I didn't kill anyone! I had a lot of help from the upper classmen and the doctors. They were great with all kinds of pointers and helpful instruction, and lots of patience. Besides the scorpions and tarantulas in the clinic, all went smooth today. It was a surreal feeling working in the dental clinic for my first time, knowing that this is what I will be doing the rest of my life, and doing it in a foreign country for people who barely have enough to feed their own family. It gave me a great confirmation in my decision to do dentistry and in my decision to serve those who are underprivileged. It is a very humbling experience to see how content and gracious people are regardless of their circumstances. Coming on this trip, I was anticipating changing the lives of those who I would encounter, yet I sense that the greater impact will be on myself. Jonathan Shelton, a third year dental student, closed the day with a great statement, "I'm here to elevate teeth, and to elevate spirits!"

- andy wicke

ps. jenny and courtney were the real deal in the nursing operation. jenny is a thermometer teaching machine!

and complements to Lauren Rollins for editing.