The Privileged Life: Dental Healthcare
“Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.” Proverbs 25:19
Toothaches are miserable. There’s no escape from the throbbing pain. And no one enjoys having their teeth fixed.
Having made a number of visits to a dentist and endodontist in the past two months (with one more trip scheduled) for exams, a root canal, and ultimately a crown, I’ve endured a lot to salvage just one tooth.
But as I lay in the dentist chair this afternoon for more than two hours, I thought of those who don’t have the privilege of going to a very nice dentist with a very nice assistant in a very clean environment. I thought about how fortunate I was to have someone drilling on my teeth! I was so thankful to have been injected with Novocain!
The rest of the world suffers woefully from a lack of good dental care. Inhabitants of third-world countries, even third-world counties in our state, have few options for finding a dentist much less affording the cost. I’ve served on medical mission trips where the only option for patients is to have teeth pulled—and these poor people are so grateful to get rid of the pain. (See the photo above…compassionate care in primitive conditions, during a South American mission trip.)
For those in the dental profession, I salute you…yours is not an easy road, and I am thankful you are well-trained in our country’s dental schools. If you want to feel much appreciated, though, go on a medical mission trip and see how grateful those patients will be to have your expertise.
I, for one, am thankful for the wonderful dental care we enjoy in the U.S…though after all this, I hope I won’t have to see a dentist again for at least a year!
Great Physician, thank You for the privilege of living in a country where dental care is so good and generally available, where we do not have to suffer much pain. I pray that You will raise up dental teams to help those who suffer in poorer locales, to bring Your healing to people who have no other recourse for their dental health. Bless those who bring Your love and compassion to share with others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
For more information on Christian mission trips for dentists, go to the website for Global Health Outreach, Christian Medical & Dental Associations—https://cmda.org/global-health-outreach/
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