Punta Abreojos in May 2007
Punta Abreojos in May 2007
“So what do you do when you’re down there? Pull a lot of teeth?” This was the question our team fielded countless times, before, during, and after our service trip to Punta Abreojos, Mexico. As a participant in the trip, I found out for myself that we were able to do far more than just pull teeth. Our own team included Dr. Vertongen D.D.S, a dentist based out of San Mateo who specializes in cosmetic dentistry; his assistant Maria Montalvo, R.D.A; Maria Garcia, who doubled as a translator and an assistant to Dr. Vertongen; pilot David Garner; co-pilot Howard Foster, and our personal entertainment system in the form of seven-year old Matthew Gardner.
We departed on May 17th out of San Jose in David Gardner’s Cessna 421 (“The Golden Eagle”) at 08:30 and landed in Mexicali at 11:10. Unfortunately, our stop in Mexicali, including going through Mexican customs and purchasing fuel, took upwards of two hours. Our words of advice to future pilots, watch your fuel gauge as they fill the tank! We departed out of Mexicali at 14:30 and had a very comfortable landing on a dried lakebed in Punta Abreojos at 16:30 (17:30 local time).
The town of Punta Abrejeos is a dusty fisherman’s town in Baja California. Although the living conditions are dismal by our standards, the inhabitants of the town are not impoverished. Unlike many of the villages visited by the Flying Doctors, this village had a medical clinic that included a dentist’s office. The dentist rotates between Punta Abreojos and several other villages so, although sporadic, the villagers have access to dental care. Even so, upon arrival our team discovered that the local dentist had been working without functioning water or suction, so we worked to install our own equipment before the end of our first evening there.
The other team of doctors, piloted by Tom Glaze in a Beachcraft Bonanza A36, landed just minutes before us. This team included Dr. Johanna Wolfson, a psychologist and fluent Spanish speaker, Blanca Ruiz, interpreter liaison for LMV, and Daniel Makover, Ph.D. Ms. Ruiz and Mr. Makover administered tests for diabetes and dispensed critical advice for diet and lifestyle changes for affected villagers.
Over the next two days Dr. Vertongen extracted only two teeth, but placed fourteen composite facial veneers. Clearly, “pulling teeth” was not the focus of the visit. Even in the remote conditions, after setting up their own water and suction, the dental team was able to put in white fillings, create veneers, and perform root canals.
Dr. Vertongen commented, “my favorite cases are those in which the patient steps out of the chair with their mouth completely transformed.” Take the case of Sonia Goe Villa. This mother of three girls entered the clinic, having previously seen the local dentist, but having ongoing complaints of cavities. Not only did the dental team fix her cavities with two white fillings, but they also put frontal veneers on five of her frontal teeth, transforming her significantly stained, severely decayed teeth into a gleaming white smile worthy of Hollywood. Sonia did not even know that such a transformation was possible. She left the chair grinning, and in lieu of the language barrier between herself and the dentist, later returned with two cans of the locally- produced canned fish as a way to express her gratitude. Sonia was not the only villager to receive facial veneers during our stay, but she was one of a handful who received total mouth makeovers.
The dental team certainly performed their fair share of procedures the villagers typically associated with dentists, such as fillings. However, it was the aesthetic transformations that impressed the villagers and me, as an observer without any medical training, the most. It is amazing to witness an individual who has resigned his or herself to a certain appearance walk into a free clinic and walk out an hour later their mouth completely transformed. Their face is immediately brighter and their confidence immediately higher. I’d like to believe that this confidence will last for years to come.
Written by Stephanie Vertongen
Published by Los Medicos Voladores, South Bay Chapter, August 2007