The Advance Foundation
Dental Mavericks Charity Trip to Morocco
Cheryl and I are just back from this year’s trip to Rif Mountains, about 4 hours east of Tangier, Morocco. The trip involved a team of dental nurses, dentists, therapists, translators and assistants to help get kids out of daily dental pain. It was my 3rd trip and Cheryl’s second.
This is what we are working against. We found this stall outside the gate of a school where we subsequently took out over 100 teeth because they were so rotten. That and the fact they all drink the local beverage of mint tea with enough sugar to stand a spoon up in it!
This trip to Morocco was in conjunction with some local dentists there who were giving over 5000 kids toothbrushes and toothpaste paid for by Dental Mavericks. It’s not just about taking teeth out but trying to leave a legacy of education and prevention.
Treating kids is tiring, not really on a physical level but more on an emotional one. This is because they are children, sometimes as young as three, having teeth removed. We do our best to look after them, while a language barrier demands total concentration to build a relationship with constant eye contact, verbal communication, body language and reassurance. They are so appreciative for what we do for them as many of the kids have been in pain for weeks – often months! As a team we managed to treat over 2300 kids in the time we were there.
The most rewarding part for me was going rural and travelling up into the hills. There is more evident poverty here and people cannot access a dentist at all. The kids are so amazing – one minute you’re taking their teeth out and the next they’re beaming from ear to ear. This is when you know you’re doing the right thing, when it means so much to be out of pain.
We’d like to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the Dental Mavericks and took part in our raffle. With your help we raised funds to help get Moroccan kids out of daily dental pain. Advance Dental Care self-funds the cost of sending team members to Morocco to carry out this work, so all the money raised goes directly to helping the kids.
Take care and thanks again,
Andy
Football Tournament in Morocco
Late last year we were given the opportunity to sponsor a local football team in Morocco as part of our ongoing support of Dental Mavericks.
We’re glad to say the tournament was a huge success, and a great time was had by all.
Thanks to the Rifcom team for inviting us to come along so that we could contribute to the oral hygiene education of the football teams.
Each dental practice that was involved donated a football kit, kit bag, water bottle to each team.
Well done to Khizana for winning second time around.
Dental Mavericks
Here at Advance Dental Care we look to support charities both in our own community and further a field.
Over the last 12 months several members of our team have ventured to Morocco with the Dental Mavericks organisation.
Dental Mavericks aim to help to stop the daily dental pain for the children of Morocco. Below are some of the photos taken from our recent trips.
