10/01/2026
We set up our clinic today inside the mission compound walls. The community was welcomed in. We had a fairly slow start, so while the rest of the dental team saw a couple of patients, I got to have some fun at the kid’s table. It’s been a while since I’ve painted a little girl’s fingernails, but it’s like riding a bike! Girl dad skills! Duty called, and I went back to working the dental clinic. Melissa and my first patient turned out to be really something! (Note: extracting partially impacted wisdom teeth without the benefit of X-rays, drills or suction isn’t easy.) This tuned into a marathon surgery. With Melissa and I working for over 2 hours to complete the extraction and post-op. As the procedure went on, we were joined by so many helpers. All 4 student dentists were on hand - getting instruments, managing the bleeding, helping keep us cool. Pastor Tony prayed over us. Mary stroked the patients hand and prayed over her. Our interpreter Maria made sure the patient was experiencing no pain. Our Guatemalan assistant Emily used her dental knowledge to help calm the patient explaining what was going on. When the tooth finally came out, the entire room cheered! Our patient was relieved, and I was nearly dead. After packing the surgical area and placing sutures, the patient asked me if I could now take out herb other wisdom tooth! In the 30 years that I’ve been extracting teeth, this was THE most difficult I’ve ever done. I’m so thankful for this amazing team. Today we extracted 13 teeth, but one of those was a real doozy!
