You might know that Smile Generation-trusted offices provide a lot of dental care to patients who need it nationwide through volunteer opportunities. However, you might not know that Smile Generation-trusted office team members also partner with nonprofits to deliver dental care to patients worldwide on dental mission trips.
Since 2010, Smile Generation-trusted clinicians and non-clinical team members have provided more than $11 million in dental care globally, helping nearly 17,000 patients. Over 650 volunteers collectively contributed over 29,000 hours in Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Fiji.
Dental Mission Trips to Guatemala
Recognizing the profound need for oral health care in Guatemala, the PDS Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to advancing global oral health through local, national, and international service opportunities, established a cost-free dental clinic in Xenacoj in 2015. Several times a year, a group of Smile Generation-supported dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and non-clinical volunteers work alongside the PDS Foundation Clínica Dental staff.
Together, they’ve provided essential care to more than 3,000 patients, offering a comprehensive range of treatments valued at nearly $3 million, including fillings, extractions, and root canals. Beyond dental care, the volunteers delivered stoves and food to families within the community.
Guatemala faces an overwhelming demand for dental care, particularly for rural residents who encounter challenges in accessing it. Dental diseases, exacerbated by inadequate education and malnutrition, pose significant health concerns. In a recent move, the PDS Foundation Clínica Dental introduced Spanish-translated educational resources, bridging the language barrier to educate patients about the vital significance of oral health to their overall health.
“Helping is not only about making a filling, an extraction or a dental cleaning and taking away the pain. Helping is also about being able to explain to the patient when something else is observed in the mouth. I feel very proud to have a dentist with a heart to serve,” said Hilda Chiquito, operations manager, PDS Foundation Clinica Dental, Xenocoj, Guatemala.
During our 40th international dental mission trip, PDS-supported dentists, dental hygienists, assistants, non-clinical volunteers, and the PDS Foundation Clínica Dental staff provided essential care to 102 patients, offering treatments such as fillings, extractions, and root canals.
"One of the happiest times of each year for me is the mission trip to Guatemala," Dr. Mesa Modern Dentistry and Orthodontics said. "Witnessing the team members and patients transforming humbles me in my daily life."
Dental Mission Trips to Fiji
From 2011 to 2019, Smile Generation partnered with the PDS Foundation and Mission at Natuvu Creek to provide treatment to adult and pediatric patients in Fiji. The Mission at Natuvu Creek in Venua Levu, Fiji, is where our dental volunteers see most patients. However, there are also trips to schools and villages to provide fluoride treatments and donated dentistry.
International dental mission trips to Fiji allowed us to see many patients who otherwise wouldn't have access to care. The dental volunteers have seen over 2,900 patients and provided over $1.7 million in donated dentistry. The dental services included tooth extractions, fillings, cleanings, and fluoride treatments.
These dental mission trips have a way of touching lives, both for the patients and the volunteers. For example, our Smile Generation-trusted clinician, Dr. Christian Peralta of Spanish Springs Modern Dentistry, extracted a painful, abscessed tooth from a 70-year-old woman. The tooth had been infected for a while, but the woman was too weak to walk to the clinic and couldn't afford the bus fare, so she lived with it. The woman's gratitude following Dr. Peralta's treatment was overwhelming, underscoring the life-changing impact of our work.
Another patient, a young girl with a lot of decay, also had teeth extracted. When the procedure ended, she smiled and told the team she had no pain, touching the volunteers' hearts.
"She smiled (numb lips and all) and hugged us. That was one of the most rewarding moments of my life. A simple smile from a child excited to no longer be in pain. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve," Alecia Masteller, Operations Manager at North Park Modern Dentistry, said.
These are only two examples among many of our volunteers' heartwarming experiences on these trips, making it a truly fulfilling and rewarding endeavor. One clinician remarked these opportunities remind the dental volunteers of how fortunate they are to live where they do and how it feels good to give to others.
Dental Mission Trips to Ethiopia
Smile Generation partnered with the PDS Foundation from 2010-2019 on dental mission trips to the Tigray region of Ethiopia to provide comprehensive dentistry services and mentorship to the students and faculty of the University of Mekelle Dental School. We also supported the Relief Society of Tigray and the Ethiopian Government's efforts to establish a dental clinic that provides access to proper oral healthcare year-round in the rural area of northern Tigray.
Our dental mission trips to Ethiopia were both rewarding and inspirational. We provided over 11,000 patients with over $7 million in donated dentistry.
Often times, our dental volunteers also visited the local school, which was filled with students thanks to the generosity of our patients, who donated to charity: water, which provided clean drinking water. Access to clean, safe water means the children could attend school. Before this, many of the local village girls' main occupation was walking miles roundtrip to an unsanitary water source to bring it back to their families.
"It is such a joy to help those in need, but what it does for me personally is even more impactful," Dr. Eric Ellis of Laveen Kid’s Dentist and Orthodontics wrote after the experience. "Service missions like this make my relationships with my family and patients that much more special."
We hope to empower tomorrow's oral healthcare leaders in these areas to create a sustainable model of care. Dental volunteer opportunities and mission trips in Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Fiji are excellent examples of what is possible when dental professionals come together locally and abroad to ensure patients get the care they need.
