Honduras - Day Three

Saturday January 5, 2013 - Day Three

Today, we woke up bright and early to eat breakfast before starting our first day on the brigade site. There were cookies, ham, fruit and poached eggs for breakfast. I have eaten every meal and am enjoying the food thus far! Some girls are scared of the food, but I think it is different, crazy and not bad at al! We quickly got ready to head off to the brigade site! All the dental team members had to wear scrubs due to blood, saliva, and other bodily fluids that could come from the patients! It was so hot wearing scrubs in 90 degree weather! Anyway, we had a 45 minute drive to the small village of Ojachal. Two hundred people live in this little village in Honduras. The village had a dangerous road downhill made of dirt and stone. Cattle, hen, roosters, and wild dogs roamed everywhere. We unloaded off the bus and got started unpacking our supplies and meds. At first, the classroom we were going to use for our dental station was locked so a family generously offered their home for us to work in. I talked to a little boy who lived in this home, Ere, and found out he liked to play hide-and-seek. Ere's mother showed us her banana tree, mango tree, and plum tree and even offered us a mango! However, we eventually got the classroom unlocked and began setting up for the day! Doctor Elena and Ingrid explained every tool we were going to use for extractions and fillings. They really emphasized educating us about the dental procedures and teeth anatomy. So, we began the day and I assisted the doctors with extractions, fillings, cleanings, sterilized tools, and entered data of the patients' dental history. We saw 50-60 people on our first day in Ojachal. It was exciting and awesome to see extractions because they are my favorite dental procedure! Many of the teeth that Ingrid was extracting were rotten down to the roots and when the roots are rotten and deteriorated, they are hard to remove from the gums. Some patients' extractions took no time at all and some took a little more elbow grease. Doctor Ingrid had to hold one child's head in the crease of hew elbow and pull the tooth out with her free hand. There were four stations in the classroom: extractions, fillings, sterilization, and data information. I was very impressed by the people of Ojachal with their patience and how calm they were during procedures. I was also surprised by their interest and fascination in dentistry. Lastly, I was humbled and satisfied when the patients left us happy and free of pain. At the end of the day, I was very satisfied and hungry to help the next day. We weren't allowed to take pictures the first day in Ojachal until we got to know the village on a more personal level so I just snapped some shots of our dental station! Enjoy!

Also, please watch my third daily journal on YouTube!

 All of our extraction and filling tools! Elevators and foreps!

Me in sterilization gear: protective glasses, mask, gloves and gown!