subject: Dentist Doing Good Around The World [print this page] A dentist in Atlanta regularly makes humanitarian trips to third world countries around the world. He feels with all he has been given, a successful practice, a wonderful standard of living, that he can give back to those that have little or nothing.
He focuses on orphanages in South America, sponsoring one in particular. They are his life's work, and he loves the children. It is often difficult to make his dreams of dental hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation in general happen in this part of the world. For over a year, he worked to bring the orphanage a large walk in refrigerator, so the nuns wouldn't have to go to the market every day, and the children could have dairy products, meats and other perishables. The task was daunting. It wasn't easy to find a large commercial refrigerator in that part of the world or to get it delivered or installed. One year of many trips, many phone calls and much deliberation. The day finally arrived and the refrigerator was in place ready for use.
It was a happy day; he felt his dream had come to fruition. Not so. One year later on his annual visit to the orphanage all that remained was a giant hole where the refrigerator had been. The nuns had sold the refrigerator to buy food for the children. A large refrigerator while an absolute necessity here in the states, was a luxury they couldn't afford. When given a choice between refrigeration and food, the caretakers wisely choose food.
The same thing happened when toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss were passed out to the children. After a wonderful lesson about the importance of brushing, complete with the children brushing their teeth for the first time, the dentist left and the toothbrushes and supplies were put back into their little packages and sold on the street. Again, while toothbrushes are a necessity here, they are a luxury there.
Food first, no money left over for niceties.
Dental care in Atlanta is state-of-the-art. You don't have to choose between food and a toothbrush. You can have your teeth whitened, straightened, cleaned, polished, enhanced anytime you want. The expertise in the dental work in this country is outstanding. This is a blessed land, one of opportunity, luxury, and hygiene. While no one gets excited to visit the dentist, it is humbling to realize all that you have in comparison to the people of the world.
