Summer Dental Camp!
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
I was so touched when four incredible dentists told me they wanted to travel all the way to Nepal to host a dental clinic for our students and community at Kopila Valley this summer. Dental care in Nepal is definitely lacking and our students and their families would not normally have the opportunity to have their teeth cared for. On one of my first ever trips to Nepal I was at high elevation in a remote village when I had a serious dental emergency. My face swelled up so bad you could barely recognize me. I was days walking away from a dentist and when I finally reached a local outpost with a health worker who had finished 10th grade I had to have my tooth pulled out with a pair of pliers before the infection spread. It was then at 19 year old that I realized just how difficult life can be without a doctor or the option of dental care.
I am really proud of our clinic administrator, Meelan Karki, who did all the behind the scenes work to make our Kopila Dental camp a huge success. It took her months to get the licenses required to have the camp. It’s hard to believe but now our kids’ smiles are even bigger and brighter!
Here’s a post from Meelan herself:
We were lucky when four dentists from India and the US came all the way to Kopila for four days to examine our kid’s teeth and teach about proper oral health and dental hygiene. We have been teaching the children about dental health at school, but it was more effective for the children learn about the importance of regular and proper teeth cleaning from the dentists and to receive many needed procedures. The dentists donated toothpaste and toothbrushes for the kids, so all of them will be able to continue to keep their teeth clean and strong! Dental procedures included extractions, fillings, and even root canals! There were altogether 300+ participants 139 required fillings, 11 needed root canals and 23 required extractions. It was a full four days with lots of hard work and some occasional tears from the kids! In the end the incredible dentists, the Kopila clinic team, we were able to make sure all the kids got great care. And now we have a prevention plan for the future.
The dentists were warm, friendly and inspiring, and made a big impression on the children, and they are doing healthy brushing and showing special concern about maintaining oral hygiene for healthy smile. We all, the Kopila Valley team will always be grateful to Dr.Chinchai Hsiao, Dr.Khyati Parmar, Dr Sheetal Gaikwad and Dr.Shamal Gaikwad for dedicating their precious time and effort to the kids of Kopila.
