Tooth Taxi Updates 2008

• update 13 - 12/8/08
  North Marion
• update 12 - 12/1/08
  Dayton
• update 11 - 11/17/08
  Woodburn
• update 10 - 11/10/08
  Estacada
• update 9 - 11/3/08
  Lebanon
• update 8 - 10/27/08
  Santiam Canyon
• update 7 -10/20/08
  Central Linn
• update 6 - 10/13/08
  Amity
• update 5 - 10/6/08
  Scio
• update 4 - 9/29/08
  Falls City
• update 3 - 9/22/08
  Sweet Home
• update 2 - 9/15/08
  Head Start - Milwaukie
• update 1 - 9/4/08
  Head Start - Independence
  

Success Stories

On The Road Again: A Tooth Taxi Update

by Mary Daly, Program Manager, Tooth Taxi
Update Number 13 | 12/01/08 | North Marion

Sunstar Americas (distributor for GUM and Butler brands) donated a few thousand mirrors to us - FREE. They have a light and are a big hit with students (and some of the teachers!). The students keep the mirror after screening, along with toothbrush and toothpaste. I’ve also attached a photo of a student selecting from our toy /prize box, which they get to chose from after treatment.

Dr. Heringer screening with the new mirror

Hugs seem to be the story line from our visit to N. Marion.
I was ready to walk back one of the 4th grade students to the school after treatment; instead of heading down the steps, she quietly bee-lined over to Peggy our dental assistant and gave her a big hug. Witnessing that little girls action re-affirms how important our work is and what a positive experience these kids have with their dental treatment and their interactions with the Tooth Taxi staff.

Another unexpected hug came from the school nurse, Christine. At the end of the week when Dr. Heringer delivered the last patient back to her office, she thanked him for all his work and through tears of appreciation gave him a hug. I say unexpected as N. Marion was a good example of challenges we run into with the schools. School resources are taxed and often one nurse is responsible for several thousand students. Although in preparation for our visits, I can talk about the Tooth Taxi program, all they see is the paperwork and that our processes are different than what they are accustomed to with their current MTI dental van visits. We weren’t met with open arms, prior to the visit nor the first couple of days, but once again, over the course of the week we were able to demonstrate our mission and the uniqueness of our program. Seeing is believing. Being on location for a few days, interacting daily with school staff in “their community”, combined with the students having a positive experience in the Tooth Taxi really does build a bond. We do have some ideas to develop that will help to better connect with the schools prior to our visit, stay tuned.

If you’re thinking about volunteering on the tooth Taxi, you’ve probably noticed a common thread here, that we receive a lot of hugs! And there is no better reward for a hard day’s work than that.

N. Marion school district in Aurora:

• 48 Students screened
• 24 Students treated in the van
• $17,754 free dental treatment provided

Year to date stats:

• Students Screened 644
• Students Treated in the van 350
• Students reached in classroom education 306
• Dollar value of free dental services $205,761

Next week’s recap – To be determined, the Tooth Taxi has been grounded due to school closures and inclement weather.

Next week on the road – Schools will be closed for the holidays.

Regards, Mary