Your Smile Clinic Team Volunteer with Dentaid!

Earlier this month, Nia and I had the opportunity to volunteer with the charity Dentaid.

Dentaid provides dental care and oral health advice for people experiencing homelessness and other under-served communities. Using mobile clinics, they are able to reach those who struggle to access treatment.

Nia and I were in the fishing town of Grimsby, having travelled the night before our long trip from Manchester. Grimsby is recognised as the main centre of the UK fish-processing industry with 70% of the UK's fish-processing industry being located there.

Alongside Dentaid, we were there as part of a larger charity event called SeaFit, organised by the charity Fishermen's Mission, which supports fishermen and their families. Fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and this charity offers practical, financial and emotional support to the people involved, as well as a 24/7 emergency service to assist with accidents or illness at sea.

This community often finds it difficult to access dental care because of the seasonal nature of their jobs and the reliance on weather conditions to make their living. We met lots of interesting patients who had fascinating stories of their time at sea which made for a hugely enjoyable day.

I provided emergency care to this group of patients, including extractions and fillings to relieve toothache, as well as x-rays and oral cancer screenings. Nia carried out teeth cleaning and gave valuable oral health advice. We were also able to distribute free toothpastes and toothbrushes to help these patients on their journey to dental health.

We both had a fantastic day providing care to those who need it the most and we were even photographed for the local newspaper, which will hopefully help to spread the word to communities and dentists alike!