Technicians On a Mission: Building Smiles and Lifelong Friendships in Jamaica
Posted May 07, 2012 in Labs & Profiles
"The smiles on their faces say it all. It's why we do it: spend a week in the mountains of rural Jamaica working in extreme conditions to provide dental care to people in need. The entire experience is life changing and we've all made Jamaican friends we will have forever!" says Jim Duran, Lab Manager at Carolina Dentures in Ocala and The Villages, FL.
In January, Duran and his fiancé, Sherryann Gaumer, formerly a technician at Affordable Dentures, Inc. in Weeki Wachee, FL, joined three other technicians--Gabe Carrillo, Brooke White and Kay Langley--five dentists, five dental assistants and three hygienists for a week-long mission.
The volunteers set up a make-shift clinic and laboratory in the Light of the Valley United Church in Clarendon, located on the southern side of the island. In addition to extracting 500 teeth and cleanings, they fabricated approximately 200 dentures for patients, some of whom walked five to 10 miles to get to the clinic. Temperatures exceeded...
