Dentist

Dental checkups don't really exist here. As a result, dental problems are really bad, and people only visit the dentist when they have a major problem. Two of the kids at Sidai, Simon and Esther Wamboi, were having problems, so Danny and I took them to the dentist in a nearby town yesterday. We waited over 3.5 hrs to see the dentist, so the kids were already unhappy by the time it was our turn. I assumed the dentist would do some kind of dental checkup/cleaning but nope. He just looked at the problems and decided that each of them needed a tooth pulled.

What a nightmare!! Simon was really brave up until the point when the dentist pulled the tooth - then he started crying and screaming. They gave him an injection first, but it still really hurt him. He's only 7 - so sad! Wamboi (8 yrs) was next and completely freaked out. She tried leaning against the wall to avoid the dentist, so I had to pick her up and physically sit her on the chair. She was crying and saying "no, Sara, no, Sara!!!" I felt absolutely terrible. At least it's over. Afterwards, we took them out to lunch to try to make up for it. They never eat anywhere besides Sidai and church, so they were pretty happy.

It's sad but dental health just isn't a priority here. So many adults have missing teeth. Many people I've asked don't even know what floss is! I made the kids promise me that they would brush their teeth at least 2x a day. Otherwise, I threatened to never bring in treats again! :)

I'm going to dinner with some other volunteers tonight, which should be a lot of fun. It'll be nice to do something different - and not eat beans and cabbage! Hope everyone is having a great weekend.