| Fear of the Unknown |
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For the past six years I have traveled to Honduras on a dental/medical
mission. Although, I have had a number of wonderful experiences, the most
memorable and gratifying one occurred when a little 9-year old girl had
her first encounter with a dentist.It all began one morning when my staff
and I heard uncontrollable crying and screaming outside the dental clinic.
This was strange because the' Honduran children usually are excellent dental
patients. They rarely say a word, and they never cry or complain. I was
so curious about the commotion that I sent my interpreter out to see what
was going on. To my amazement she discovered that a mother and her distraught
daughter had walked six hours through the jungle so that the little girl
could have her teeth fixed. I learned that Nidia's teeth had been causing
her pain for months, but she was so terrified of the dentist that she refused
to have any treatment. Finally after many sleepless nights, her mother
had had enough and decided to take action. She literally dragged Nidia
through the jungle and up the mountain to our little one-room clinic in
a schoolhouse. Her mother was so adamant about obtaining dental care for
Nidia that I just couldn't refuse to try to help her.Although a number
of children were ahead of her, I decided to take Nidia next so that her
hysterics wouldn't frighten the other children who were waiting. But Nidia
did not get into the chair without a fight. My staff and I had to contend
with her kicking legs and flailing arms, but we finally managed to get
her into the chair. Then the real struggle began.Her mother, my nurse,my
interpreter, and I all had to hold her down to complete the examination.
Fortunately, Nidia was crying so hard that I had no trouble giving her
an anesthetic in both the upper and lower quadrants. After about five minutes,
the anesthetic took effect, and Nidia quieted down and began to cooperate
a little bit. My examination revealed 27 cavities and one abscess. I removed
the abscessed tooth, and then, using a mortar and pestle to mix the amalgams
we restored eight teeth on one side of her mouth. She still had some problems
on the other side, but I thought she had had enough for one day and that
I had taken care of the most serious problems. When I had finished, her
mother thanked me profusely and left.The next two days were routinely uneventful,
but on the third day a familiar name was on the list of the day's patients.
Nidia was back. There were about 30 children waiting outside, and when
my staff and I heard no fussing or crying, we concluded that perhaps Nidia
hadn't arrived yet.When her name finally came up on the list, my nurse
went out and found her waiting quietly and calmly with the other children.
Her mother even had left her alone to do some shopping in a local store.
After being notified that it was her turn, Nidia walked right into the
clinic on her own, sat down in the chair, and opened her mouth. My staff
and I were so surprised that our mouths dropped open for a moment too.
After we recovered from the shock, my interpreter asked Nidia how she was
doing. She replied that her teeth no longer hurt her and that she wanted
to have me do the ones on the other side of her mouth. My staff and I looked
at each other in stunned disbelief.The new Nidia was such a model patient
that I was able to restore all the rest of her teeth. When I was finished
and she got up to leave, she thanked my staff and me and walked out of
the clinic with a big smile on her face. When the mother came to pick her
up, she told me that Nidia's overwhelming fear of the dentist had resulted
from other stories she had heard from some of the other children. Basically,
what happened was that Nidia simply had to conquer the fear of the unknown.
Bruce B. Robeson, D.D.S.
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