Vance dentist, dental assistants will attend Mission of Mercy
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --
Four dental assistants and a dentist from Vance are volunteering at the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy scheduled to take place Feb 7 and 8 in the Chisholm Trail Expo Center.
The two-day event provides dental care for Americans who otherwise would not receive dental care and is running for the fifth straight year in Oklahoma.
Dentists and dental assistants will perform dental tasks starting at 5 a.m. -- from cleanings to surgery. Other volunteers will escort patients, cook food, and translate for non-English speaking people.
"I do this volunteer work every quarter," said Capt. (Dr.) Chris Fries, a 71st Dental Services Flight dentist. "I usually volunteer with Mobile Smiles, which is basically a group of people driving RV with two dental chairs in it driving from city to city."
Since 2010 dentists volunteering with the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy have treated more than 7,500 patients, which equals more than $4 million in donated dental services.
"Some of these people have never seen a dentist," said Fries. "Once I took out all of someone's teeth to relieve the pain he was experiencing from rotten teeth.
"I truly feel like this is the one volunteer opportunity where I reflect back on the day and smile because I think: 'I really improved these people's lives today because they will be able to sleep at night without pain,'" said Fries.
Dentists and their assistants work hours on end but never manage to see all those who come out. Some people hoping for treatment show up hours before the event opens.
"Every time I've done this I work as hard as I can, the only sad thing is we cannot see everyone because we do not have enough time or resources," said Fries.
Online registration for volunteering has ended. Those interested in volunteering will be able to sign up on site.
The other volunteers from the dental flight attending are:
Zoila Davila who will be assisting with oral surgery
Senior Airman Nicola Dejesus who will be assisting with hospitality
Airman 1st Class Shiela Kilpatrick who will be assisting with registration.
The two-day event provides dental care for Americans who otherwise would not receive dental care and is running for the fifth straight year in Oklahoma.
Dentists and dental assistants will perform dental tasks starting at 5 a.m. -- from cleanings to surgery. Other volunteers will escort patients, cook food, and translate for non-English speaking people.
"I do this volunteer work every quarter," said Capt. (Dr.) Chris Fries, a 71st Dental Services Flight dentist. "I usually volunteer with Mobile Smiles, which is basically a group of people driving RV with two dental chairs in it driving from city to city."
Since 2010 dentists volunteering with the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy have treated more than 7,500 patients, which equals more than $4 million in donated dental services.
"Some of these people have never seen a dentist," said Fries. "Once I took out all of someone's teeth to relieve the pain he was experiencing from rotten teeth.
"I truly feel like this is the one volunteer opportunity where I reflect back on the day and smile because I think: 'I really improved these people's lives today because they will be able to sleep at night without pain,'" said Fries.
Dentists and their assistants work hours on end but never manage to see all those who come out. Some people hoping for treatment show up hours before the event opens.
"Every time I've done this I work as hard as I can, the only sad thing is we cannot see everyone because we do not have enough time or resources," said Fries.
Online registration for volunteering has ended. Those interested in volunteering will be able to sign up on site.
The other volunteers from the dental flight attending are:
Zoila Davila who will be assisting with oral surgery
Senior Airman Nicola Dejesus who will be assisting with hospitality
Airman 1st Class Shiela Kilpatrick who will be assisting with registration.
