As the cruel winds of November begin to blow, Dr. C.R. Anderegg and his staff will be headed back to balmy Jamaica for the third time — but not for a vacation.
Anderegg, whose periodontal practice is based in Bellevue, is one of many compassionate dental care providers participating in the Great Shapes! Inc. “1,000 Smiles Project,” a humanitarian outreach program serving poor Jamaican residents.
Last year, 135 dental volunteers from the United States, Canada and Jamaica teamed to provide 16,561 Jamaicans with free fillings, cleanings, extractions, sealants, fluoride treatments, oral hygiene supplies and instructions.
“We set up movable clinics in schools, beauty shops, wherever there’s room,” Anderegg explained. “Sandals Resort is our sponsor and we work with their employees.”
While tourists see the fun and exotic aspects of Jamaica, there’s a major chasm between rich and poor people who live there.
“Most people are very poor and their diet isn’t conducive to health because they live on sugar cane,” said Anderegg. “They have pain and infection. We take out infected teeth and try to retain the front six teeth because without a nice smile, they can’t be employable. This is early education about hygiene and diet. We hand out toothbrushes and show them how to use them.”
The volunteers rely on donated instruments and frequently have to ad-lib, such as duct-taping objects together. Sometimes the power goes out and they have to use generators. The patients don’t notice or complain about the makeshift clinics.
One young man who called himself “Sugar” especially stands out in their minds.
“His tooth broke during surgery, an extraction. Without X-rays, we had to figure out how to do this, with flashlights,” said Anderegg.
The painful process took five hours.
“We had no narcotics for him, just Motrin,” Anderegg continued. “The next morning, he was up early, smiling and cooking breakfast. We said, ‘Are you okay?’ and he said, “I feel fine, man!’ It is an eye-opening experience, how thankful they are. They don’t have anything.”
Surgical assistant Brittny Kindle agreed, “They bring us food, a coconut, anything to show thanks.”
But, said the doctor, “We get more out of it than we give.”
Other team members, including surgical assistant Marla Stella, hygienist Karen Ris and office manager Pat Rice concurred.
Before the trip in November, the team will stock up on supplies to help as many poor Jamaicans as possible. Donations from the community are welcome.
For more information, visit www.cranderegg.com or call 425-747-7007.
Mary Stevens Decker is a writer for the Redmond Reporter. She can be contacted at mdecker@redmond-reporter.com
Dr. C.R. Anderegg, right, assists a dental student from Temple University School of Dentistry work on the teeth of a patient in Jamaica. Courtesy photo
