On February 24, Dr. Akey (His Hands Dental Director) saw our first patient ever. (See above picture.) That day, he assisted 4 dental patients - and His Hands offered approximately $850 of services absolutely free of charge.
Praise God!
Michelle Retter (Dental Coordinator) and I taught a Sunday School class last Sunday (Feb. 26) about the need for dental in our community and country, and some of the statistics really surprised me. Did you know that 23% of adults in our country have untreated tooth decay? Tooth decay leads to abscesses (which bacterial infections in the center of the tooth), which are very painful. So, to extrapolate, 23% of adults in the US are either in extreme tooth pain or are headed for it. Wow!
And here's another not-so-surprising stat: 4 out of 10 hiring managers admit that a job candidate's bad teeth would influence their hiring decision. That's 40% of employers - and those are just the ones that admit it.
Bad teeth affect a person's health, job, and employment future. It's an area that desperately needs to be addressed.
In the grand scheme of things, our little clinic doesn't seem like much. But to the 4 people who got assistance last week, it meant a great deal. In our little corner of the world, we are doing what we can to help.
Please continue to pray for us: that we schedule the right patients, that we get the volunteers we need, that we find a steady funding stream for dental, and that the scheduled patients actually show up.
And.... if you're in the area, stop by! The clinic looks terrific.
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