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Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,396
Marty Offline OP
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we are looking for people to help and still need supplies for april 5th -10th, june 10th-17th, sept.16th-23rd and some time in nov.

we need childrens' tooth brushes, floss, small toys to give as prizes as they leave, gloves masks gauze filling materials,really anything dental related.

the volunteers can help organize and register the kids and keep them occupied while waitng and some can help show them how to brush and floss their teeth and assist chair side and clean up between patients. any dentists interested could help do exams, emergency and restorative treatments.

contact Mark Johnson at [email protected]

[Linked Image]

here's a little more information

Hello Fellow Volunteers,

After a quick six years the San Pedro Smile Center is complete
and waiting for you to make it a success.
Let me reintroduce myself, because I have been collecting
names for the last six years and telling you I'll get back to you
when the clinic opens. I am Dr. Mark Johnson. My wife Joan and I
practice dentistry in Minnesota and Belize. We also have a beach
house that you may have rented www.bluedolphinbelize.com. We also
have a private practice in Belize www.minnesotadentistry.net. We
may have met you at our home, volunteering somewhere, in Belize or
by referral.
With this new two operatory facility our goal is to change the
Belizean peoples' attitude toward dentistry, especially the
children. Right now we're viewed as the person you go to when you
have pain and swelling to "get the tooth pulled". we hope to
encourage prevention and change their mind set. We are going down
with our staff and some friends to see the first patients mid
January. Our target will be the school children, ages 4-12 and we
plan to give them a ride in the chair count their teeth MAYBE deal
with any immediate needs,treatment plan them, give them a toy and
leave them with a smile.
I have been charged with recruiting volunteers, credentialing
the doctors for their temporary belizean dental license and
scheduling their stays. We hope to offer near by
complimentary hotel accommodations and receipts for donations of
time and supplies.
Our volunteers will have to get themselves to San Pedro Town,
Ambergris Caye, Central America. Most major airlines fly to Belize
International now. We are on an island so you have to take a 14
passenger 15minute plane ride or 60 minute ferryboat ride to get
there.
If you are still interested in helping with this project,
where there really is a great need, please let me know, any input
is appreciated because we have never done anything like this
before.

Very truly yours,


Dr. Mark Johnson

[Linked Image]

hello fellow volunteers,

thank you for getting back to me! we completed installing the 2
operatory dental clinic in the san pedro smile center on
the island of ambergris caye, belize just 2 weeks ago. it turned out
very nice and may well be the nicest volunteer facility in the
country. we have a combo. of new and good used, rebuilt equipment
and will give the clinic its maiden voyage this jan 25th-31st. i'm
bringing myself, 4 of my staff and have invited 2 other doctors for
this session. we hope to supply the clinic with instruments and
sundries and "work the bugs out" and get in as many kids as we can,
give them a ride in the chair, count their teeth,start some type of
tx plan and give them a toy, tooth brush and floss and send them home
(or back to school) with a smile. it's going to be interesting so
pray for us. my wife joan, a dental hygienist and i are scheduled to
go back april 1st to 15th and with the help of others, hopefully
you, will work 5 - 1/2 days within these dates. it's been suggested
to me to work 1-5 so the volunteers can have the mornings for their
r&r. we'll secure complementary accommodations for the volunteers
and receipts of their contributions. if interested please let us
know asap. dr dwight, i'll need you to fax your credentials to 320
274 3152 so i can secure your bz dental license at no cost to you.
thank you all for offering to help and we hope april works but if
not maybe some time in the future.
God Bless,
dr mark johnson

[Linked Image]

Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 15
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Will be arriving in AC on the 15th of April. Is there somewhere I can drop supplies?? I'm a Dental Lab tech (is there a need for lab services?) I do dental forensics now and have access to digital x-ray system of needed.

Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 9
C
Offline
C
Hey! Have you ever tried to contact Crest? I am a Chicago Public School teacher. Crest has a program that I know of for first graders. They send a supply of toothbrushes, floss, and dental care information for free. You might want to give them a try!

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,396
Marty Offline OP
OP Offline
Once again, the San Pedro Smile Center has provided over 100 children and adults with a healthier smile, as a team of volunteer dentists from the U.S.A. conducted a free dental hygiene clinic for one week at the Polyclinic II. The team of highly-experienced dentists rendered dental care services to school children from Isla Bonita Elementary, New Horizon Adventist School, and Island Academy, as well as many adults.

"We are trying to change the present attitude that Belizeans have in regards to dentists and oral hygiene," Dr. Mark Johnson, the Smile Center's project organizer and coordinator, told Ambergris Today. "We want both children and adults to visits their dentists for regular check-ups and not to wait until the tooth hurts or starts decaying and have them receiving emergency treatment only. We want them to see their visits as positive experiences and make them come back to the dental office for regular check-ups. Prevention is the key word here."

Dr JoanIn January of this year, another team of volunteer dentists gave free dental services to over 180 school children at the Polyclinic's SP Smile Center for the very first time. Dr. Johnson and his wife, Joan, a dental hygienist, have been organizing and coordinating efforts for the past 6 years to have the fully-equipped dental clinic so that volunteer dentists can come to the San Pedro to provide effective and efficient services for the community. Fortunately for the community, their noble dream has come true, and this is the second time they have provided the services to the community at the Polyclinic's Smile Center.

"Our goal for the first dental clinic was twofold," Joan Johnson told Ambergris Today. "First, we wanted to organize the clinic so that volunteer dentists are effective and efficient in their services and second, we wanted to change the attitude of people who visit the dentist, especially the children. It is very important for them to undergo training in proper dental hygiene, so that's basically what we hoped to accomplish during the first clinic." This time around, Dr. Johnson told our newspaper that the team continued reinforcing visits as positive experiences, and for the first time, they were also doing tooth fillings, restorations, and emergency treatment.

Patients were also given lessons in proper brushing of their teeth, flossing, fluoride care, and visual counting of their teeth. Joining Dr. Johnson and Joan at the Smile Center last week were Dr. Louis Lam, a dentist from Minnesota with 23 years of experience and regarded as a very "fast" and efficient doctor; Joyce Tudor, an assistant who came all the way from California; and Douglas and Sue Hoveland from Minnesota. Eleonor Rosado from San Pedro, who is studying to be a dental assistant, once more provided the team help with schedule coordination, and Cullin Walker, also from the island, assisted with Oral Hygiene instruction.

"We are in need of volunteers and supplies for the Smile Center," Dr. Johnson said this Monday. "We want to hold another clinic on June 12, September 18, November and early next year in January. Therefore, we are looking for more volunteer dentists to give of their time."

The volunteer team extended their thanks to Ramon's Village and the Conch Shell Inn for their kind donations of guest rooms. Thanks was also given to Dr. Giovanni Solorzano for his assistance with the acquisition of licenses for the volunteer dentists. During the clinic conducted last week, all services provided for the children were free, and adult patients were only asked for a small donation to assist with the Polyclinics electric bills.

Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 129
Offline
my girlfriends and I wanna volunteer, I've tried e-mail Mark but I got no response. We are able to bring a few dozen toothbrushes to donate aswell. Please e-mail me: [email protected]

Steph


~* Kerri *~

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