Dr. Amul Patel’s 14th Dental Mission:
Transforming 1,200 Smiles in 6 Days in
Arusha, Tanzania
On July 4, 2024, Dr. Amul Patel is off on the mission of a lifetime—the fourteenth in his dental mission journey, this time to Arusha, Tanzania. With a dedicated team of six people consisting of dentists and dental assistants based in the United States and three dentists from Tanzania, Dr. Amul Patel saw to it that he tackled the oral health needs of as many as 1,200 patients in six hectic yet rewarding days. The team offered a wide range of treatments, from simple extractions and cosmetic bondings to complex root canals and dentures; such much-needed care in any community that had little or no dental services was well supplied by the aid given by these missions.
Why Dental Missions for Underserved Communities are Important
Today, millions around the world as well as in distant and rural areas still suffer from access to quality dental care. Many regions, such as those in Arusha, Tanzania, do not have treatments available, or improper dental services cause the rampant existence of untreated dental problems. Often, poor oral hygiene coupled with an inability to gain prompt treatments leads to tooth decay, infections, gum disease, and ultimately, loss of teeth.
For Dr. Amul Patel and his Aurora Smiles team, dental missions are not just about short-term relief—they are about creating lasting, positive changes in health and well-being. By addressing the urgent needs of these patients, the team also aims to impart knowledge about oral hygiene practices, ensuring long-term benefits for the communities they serve.
A Collaboration between the US and Tanzania Teams
The dental mission conducted by Dr. Amul Patel in Arusha was made possible through the collaboration of professionals from the United States with their Tanzanian counterparts. The six-member team consisted of US dentists and dental assistants who arrived with rich experience in all branches of dental care, oral surgery, cosmetic dentistry, and, or root canal therapy. Accompanying them were three dentist in Tanzanian providing essential information on the specific dental challenges likely to be faced within the community while helping out to smoothen most of the communication that bore a relationship with the patients.
The teamwork between the American and Tanzanian teams really worked to the mission’s fruition. They were a team that was working towards achieving objectives and with mutual support, where both teams would utilize each party’s strengths in their best capacity to treat as many patients as possible while maintaining quality care. Additionally, it helped Tanzanian dentists acquire skills in newer techniques from their US counterparts that would make dental care more sustainable in that area.
Treating 1,200 Patients in Six Days: A Herculean Task
Treatment of 1,200 patients in just six days is, in itself, an achievement, demanding thoughtful planning, coordination, and dedication. From daybreak every day when the office opened its doors, patients were lined up through the day, even for months. For others, this mission would serve as their first opportunity to be dealt with by professional dental care.
Extractions: Relief of Pain, Prevention of Infections
Probably the most common procedure done by the group was tooth extraction. Throughout much of the world today, untreated tooth decay and gum disease are rampant. Patients with ravaged or decaying teeth typically have chronic pain, and the infection can become serious. Extractions relieved the pain immediately and managed to stunt the spread of infection, which, if left untreated, would lead to even bigger health threats.
Extractions were a routine procedure, though they were always the last resort. If possible, the team tried to save the patient’s original teeth, which is where restorative treatments like cosmetic bondings and root canals found their respective places.
Cosmetic Bondings: Function and Aesthetics
The team also provided critical service in the aesthetic field: cosmetic bondings. Bonding is an approach in which a tooth-colored resin is applied to enhance the appearance of damaged or discolored teeth for proper function. For several patients, it was more than a cure for physical discomfort and restored their confidence in improving the beauty of their smile.
Cosmetic bondings marked an important step toward improvements in the quality of life of patients in a community where, by the expectations surrounding the more pressing needs of health, dental aesthetics are typically neglected.
Many of the patients who benefited from bondings left the clinic with renewed pride in their appearance and likewise in their self-esteem and social relations.
Root Canals: Saving Teeth and Preserving Oral Health
Root canal treatment, a very complicated procedure intended to save infected or seriously damaged teeth, comprised another very important service offered by the team. Deep decay which can reach the pulp of the tooth calls for a root canal procedure in order to drain out the infected pulp tissue to relieve the pain caused and the spread of infection to the adjacent teeth and gums.
In addition, root canal therapies manage to save many of the patient’s own natural teeth, always better than extraction. The preservation of natural teeth will improve the patients’ masticatory and articulate functions besides maintaining the structure of the jawbone, which would otherwise degenerate if the teeth are lost. For a setting as resource-poor, the fact that the option of root canal therapy was available was an achievement on its own and prevented many long-term complications for the patients.
Dentures: Restoration of Smiles and Function
For a patient who had already lost several teeth, dentures were one of the important components of his treatment. Dentures are functionally and aesthetically helpful to the person with missing teeth, enabling him to take his food, speak well, and smile freely. The way of fitting these dentures into the mouths of the patients was very delicate and precise as every denture had to be made according to the patient’s mouth structure so that it fitted them perfectly.
The supply of dentures not only restored the ability of patients to eat and speak well but also greatly improved their self-confidence. For many patients, the receipt of dentures brought an end to years of struggling with the discomfort and embarrassment caused by missing teeth. Witnessed smiles on their faces after the fitting were attesting testimonies to the life-changing power of this very simple treatment.
The group was very strong in reminding people that brushing and flossing must be performed at all times even in remote areas where a professional is not readily available. It was to arm the patients with knowledge about preventing care whereby the dental problems would be minimized that would be encountered in the future and general health in the community would be enhanced.
A Legacy of Compassion and Care
For many years now, Dr. Amul Patel has gone on fourteenth dental mission trips and this time to Arusha, Tanzania. His latest trip was one of the most successful of all. Not only did he end up treating an absolutely tremendous number of patients, but he also left a lasting impact on the community as well. The team gave life-changing care to 1,200 patients in just six days of extractions, cosmetic bondings, root canals, and dentures.
This was not only a mission to treat some dental issues but also a return to their dignity, reduce the pain, and bring smiles that will last a lifetime. Dr. Amul Patel and his team worked with the dentist in Tanzanian to focus more on education and prevention of new problems, ensuring everything they did would stay long after they returned home.
If you are looking for the best dentist in Stamford, CT, remember that Dr. Amul Patel is here to help. If you have any dental concerns, visit Aurora Smiles for compassionate care and expert treatment. As Dr. Amul Patel and his team carry on with other missions, the legacy of compassion and care that they offer to communities worldwide will be inspired and uplifted one smile at a time by such visions.