As you can see, our results for December do not
make for pleasant reading. I won’t offer any excuses,
but I do apologise, and I promise that we will make
every attempt to improve over the year.
Jas Sandhu
Lindsey
As you may know, Lindsey, our hygienist, hasn’t been well since her hip operation in
November. I know that many of you are missing her terribly and have wished her a
speedy recovery. As do we.
Some of you may have met our latest recruit: Amy Ridpath is a hygienist who joined us only a few weeks ago and is already receiving glowing reviews. In Amy’s words:
“Hello!
I’m Amy and have recently joined the practice as a dental hygienist. I will not only be working with you to help keep your mouth clean and healthy but I will endeavour to provide a pain-free personal experience for all my patients and ensure your hygiene appointment is enjoyable and as stress free as possible.
I live with my husband local to the practice and in my spare time I enjoy exercising, cooking and travelling.
I am looking forward to meeting all my patients and
integrating into what is already a fantastic team at the high street dental practice.”
Amy
Our Charities
Thank you for taking part in our prize
Christmas hamper raffle. In total, we
raised £465 for Help for Heroes.
Every month, we make a contribution to a number of world-wide projects via
Buy 1 Give 1. Here’s a summary of where our contributions went for 2016:
• You’ve given 8 nourishing meals to families in need.
• You’ve provided 105 days of access to dental hygiene to people in need .
• You’ve provided 146 square meters of rainforest protection.
• You’ve given 2283 days of access to life-saving clean water to people in Africa.
We couldn’t have done this without support. Thank you helping us to make a
difference.
The Dental Mavericks
In 2010, I became aware of the plights of the Berber tribe in Morocco. This is a
community of about 50,000 people spread mostly amongst the Rif and Atlas mountains.
Because of the remoteness of their habitats, and their poverty, the vast majority of them
have never seen a dentist.
For them, particularly the young, dental pain was simply regarded as an unfortunate
symptom of their lifestyle. And, for a community whose sugar intake is very high, this
meant that toothache was a widespread and serious issue. In most cases, painful and
decayed teeth were left to ‘rot’. And, in times of desperation, some resorted to taking out
their own or their childrens’ teeth.
I was one of a group of seven people who decided to try and do something about that. So,
in September of 2010, we ventured forth on our inaugural trip to Morocco. Because of the
difficulties in obtaining the necessary paperwork, our journey wasn’t (and still isn’t) easy.
To be brutally honest, none of us knew if we would be successful.
Thus began the journey of The Dental Mavericks.
Fast forward to today and The Dental Mavericks has become a registered charity,
numbering several dozen volunteers from Europe, America and New Zealand amongst
our group. And we have been able to forge links and friendships with so many people –
from the heads of the communities we visit to the Moroccan minister of health.
As a Dental Maverick, 2016 was a particularly
special one for me. Firstly, back in February, I
was able to take Maggie, Debbie, Cilla and Sophie
from our practice on one of our trips. This was
the first time that anyone else from our practice
has travelled with me. I wanted them to come
with me and experience what I do whenever I
work in Morocco, and why I do it. From the ‘lows’
of seeing so many children in distress, to the
‘highs’ of seeing them smile and being hugged by
them once we’d rid them of pain. Our trips can
often be very daunting for first timers, but I was
really proud of how very well they coped.
Secondly, one of my own children joined me on our last two
trips. And, although she had no previous dental experience, I
hope you’ll forgive me for saying that she shone as my nurse.
Indeed, she’s now looking forward to our next trip this May.
And lastly, we made our first trip to Greece where we visited
several camps in Thessaloniki to care for the Syrian refugees.
I am very pleased to say that this has now become another of
our causes. In fact, we are now returning there every month
to continue our work.
So, why am I telling you this? It is to thank you. Over the years, so many of you have
donated to our cause and without your generous contributions, I doubt if we would have
been able to continue. From its inception, all Dental Mavericks pay for our own travel,
food and living expenses. This means that every penny of your donations go directly
towards where it is most needed:
To help treat the children in the Berber tribes and rid them of dental pain.
On behalf of all the Dental Mavericks and the children of Morocco, thank you.
Word of the month:
Thanks for reading and happy new year.