Mission Stories

Craytay

Brushing your teeth each morning is no big deal . . .Right?

Well it is for young Craytay. Her little face, with it's tattered smile, tells a story of a most compelling need.

Craytay's sweet grin is almost deceiving because, for most of her life, she has experienced pain that you and I would consider intolerable. Unfortunately, she is not alone.

Like many children in the remote islands of Micronesia, Craytay's baby teeth are all either decayed or broken. She chews with the ragged shards, having grown accustomed to the continuous pain. Pieces of these teeth, like splinters, will remain to irritate her sensitive gums long after her adult teeth have come in.

The medical ship Canvasback approaches the shores of her island, where it is greeted by a sea of these ragged-toothed grins from children frolicking in the surf. Their faces register sheer delight as a dental hygienist hands each a brand new toothbrush. Right there in the surf, she shows them how to use this miracle tool.

Soon the islanders are lining up for help as word spreads about the painless dental care being offered by Canvasback in their onshore dental clinic. As Craytay opens wide, the dentist sees what looks like bomb craters where the decay has dug in. But he doesn't want to extract her baby teeth. "She needs them to keep the permanent teeth underneath from drifting together and crowding each other," he says.

A brave girl, Craytay neither whimpers nor bats an eye when given the anesthetic. And because he was there in time, the dentist is able to fill--and thus save--her teeth.

Why is this happening? Why are children like Craytay in these remote "paradise" islands losing their teeth?

The answer is disturbingly simple. Until now, these children have not had the opportunity to learn how to take proper care of their teeth, not even the simple task of brushing them. And until now, it was just too difficult to bring basic things like a toothbrush or fluoride tablets to a young child who lives on an island in one of the most remote areas of the world.

Compounding the problem are western foods delivered by microship, food like white sugar, white rice, white flour, kool-aid and soft drinks that the islanders purchase with the few dollars that they earn harvesting copra. And because they don't understand the value of brushing, the sugar does even more damage to their teeth.

Training the local health works; reinforcing long-forgotten hygiene principles; giving toothbrushes to little ones who've never had one; proving fluoride treatments and painless dental care; these are the tools that enable Canvasback's professional dental volunteers to change a mouth twisted with pain to a smile of genuine joy.

At Canvasback, we look forward to a time when tooth brushing will be a commonplace in these isolated islands as it is in your home. We understand that education and prevention are the keys. As with our own children, the younger they start, the easier it is to incorporate good habits into daily life.

And so we are working hard to reach these children with the dental care they so urgently need and to offer a solution to the toothaches, decay and the overwhelming need for acute dental care.

So now you understand why, for little Craytay and other chilren like her, learning to brush your teeth can be a life-changing experience.

You can see it in their smiles.

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