Brighter smiles on Tinian as Navy, Marines see 223 dental patients

  TINIAN-Ethan Palacios, 6, braved the dentist’s clinic as he patiently waited to get his dental filling and extraction done.

“I’m not scared,” the young boy said, shortly before U.S. Navy Lt. Cdr. Jose Suris, dental officer for Exercise Geiger Fury 2012, worked on him at Tinian Health Center yesterday afternoon.

Palacios was just one of the 223 dental patients on Tinian that Suris’ dental mission team has seen in two weeks. The figure does not include those seen yesterday.

Suris said they provided dental cleanings to 63 patients, dental extractions to 61, dental fillings to 13, and treatment for dental infections to six, among others.

“We’ve done so many dental extractions because many patients coming here have acute problems. And the only solution is to remove the tooth because here, our options are very limited. And the extent of the decay on the teeth is so great that there’s just no way to repair the tooth,” Suris told Saipan Tribune.

The dental services are offered free of charge to Tinian residents.

Rosita Palacios, mother of the young dental patient, said her family has been able to save at least $200 by availing of the military’s free dental services.

“In these difficult times, it’s really a big help. I thank the Navy and the Marines for volunteering their time for families like us. This is especially helpful to those who don’t have dental insurance,” she said as she waited for her son who was at the dentist clinic.

Suris said they have seen children as young as 2 years old and those already in their 60s and 70s.

He said about 95 percent of the people they have seen have urgent dental needs. That means these patients have some dental conditions that put them in pain.

The dental mission team attends to 17 to 20 patients a day, Monday to Friday.

“It’s been overwhelming at times,” he added.

Despite the challenges, Suris said this is “probably one of the rewarding experiences I’ve had” in his eight-year career with the U.S. Navy.

Besides Suris, there are two other hospital Corpsman in the dental mission team-HN Cody Frink and Felipe Bowen.

Exercise Geiger Fury received generous donations of dental supplies including toothbrushes, floss, micro-brushes, lidocaine and isocaine, from Guam, Saipan, and Tinian businesses and practitioners. These donations allowed the dental mission team to perform minor removals, minor fillings, and treat minor dental infections.