In the United Kingdom we often take good dental health for granted, with great availability of local dentists and orthodontists as well as a general awareness of the importance of dentistry and looking after our teeth and gums, thanks to the media.
No choice but to just accept missing teeth and decay
Elsewhere around the world there can be much less availability of dental practices and a fundamental lack of understanding of the importance of and techniques used to maintain good oral hygiene.
In some places it’s just normal; a part of the culture to have missing teeth. This is where the Dental Mavericks Charity comes in; they organise annual dentistry expeditions to some of the remote parts of Morocco with an aim to educate children about avoiding tooth decay.
The Mavericks was founded in 2010 by a husband and wife partnership Cally and Tony Gedge who decided when they hit their 40s that, although their lives were in Cally’s words,”full and rewarding, it lacked purpose, a sort of gap that we needed to move into.”
Since setting up the Mavericks they (and several other professionals) have been, “working towards a sustainable oral health programme in Morocco for children.”.
2016 – a successful year for the Mavericks and for dentistry in Morocco
This year they have a team of nine UK dentists and nurses travelling to the Rif Mountain region in the North East of the Country. The team has a mobile practice van to provide treatment in remote places where there is literally no access to dentistry or even transport to a city.
The Mavericks acknowledge though, that any dentistry that is carried out will only be temporary and that the best way of dealing with the problem is by education and prevention of decay.
In a recent article in the Oxford Mail Cally talked about the 2016 programme enthusiastically, saying, “a massive improvement was seen this year due to a tooth brushing club which has been active since last year and, also the fluoride programme.”
Education about tooth brushing and dental hygiene is essential – just ask any one of the experts here at our central London specialist dental practice. When you book a consultation with a member of our team, you can be sure that you won’t just get treatment for the problem you come in with, but advice and help to prevent the issue from recurring.
