Love blooms in a small town dental clinic
Heading toward Boone on N.C. Highway 105, just after the entrance to Seven Devils, the speed limit drops to 35 mph. This is the community of Foscoe, N.C., a whisper of a mountain town that caters mostly to tourists motoring between Blowing Rock and Grandfather Mountain.
People will tell you that not much happens in Foscoe, other than an occasional traffic stop. But a little over five years ago, two important things happened. One was a Missions of Mercy dental clinic – better known as NCMOM — where a whole lot of local people in need got free dental care.
It’s also where a first year orthodontic resident and a student dental assistant fell in love.
Gary Tucker and Sarah Massey came to Foscoe and joined dozens of other MOM volunteers in November 2006. They almost didn’t come to the clinic at all. But fate intervened.
“We both attended the clinic only because each of us had a friend invite us,” Sarah, who was studying dental assisting at UNC-Chapel Hill at the time, said. “We came so close to never meeting.”
But Gary, who was in his first year of orthodontics residency at UNC, and Sarah had a chance meeting in the lobby of their hotel in the predawn hours as they were leaving for the MOM event that started at sunup.
“We were up really early and wearing scrubs, so it was safe to assume that we were all volunteering at the same clinic,” Sarah said.
“When we met I, of course, thought she was beautiful, but since we were trying to find out where the clinic was going to be that day, I was a little distracted about finding directions,” Gary said.
“It was funny that Sarah and her friend followed us to the clinic because they told us they knew where to go,” Gary said. ”Obviously they didn’t so we had to quickly catch the MOM truck so we could find our way.”
“I ended up assisting Gary’s friend during the clinic while Gary treated patients at the chair next to ours,” Sarah said.
It wasn’t exactly love at first sight, though. The two parted ways after the clinic and returned to student life as usual in Chapel Hill. But, they were bound to meet again.
“I never thought anything of Gary until the next week when he stopped me in the hall. We probably saw each other a hundred times in the UNC Dental School without noticing each other, but it took a trip to Foscoe for us to finally meet,” Sarah said.
After reconnecting, the two ate many lunches together on an old couch in UNC’s Dental School building.
“Once I got to know Sarah, some of the best parts of my day were at lunch. We would sit down on that dingy yellow couch to hang out,” said Gary. “We would just relax and talk about every topic imaginable.”
At Sarah’s invitation, the couple saw each other again at a Christmas party a few weeks later. She later found out that Gary, who had no transportation, rented a car just to come see her.
“When she invited me to her party, I had to get two things: a new jacket and a rental car. I though it was silly that I was in residency and didn’t even own a car at the time,” Gary said.
But it was money well spent. Gary stayed until all of the other guests left to spend time with Sarah, and the Tuckers were married on March 28, 2009.
They now own their own practice, Tucker Orthodontics, in Winston Salem, N.C.
“We have the same vision as far as giving exceptional care to our patients. This office couldn’t be a better fit for us. I refer to us as ‘The Tucker Team,’” Sarah said.
But, having your husband for a “boss” comes with its own set of consequences, admits Sarah.
“He always threatens to write me up if I get to the office a minute late, even though he’s the one driving us both to work,” she added.
Sarah and Gary continue to volunteer at NCMOM clinics, but these days they are working as a professional dental team, rather than at separate chairs.
“We really enjoy the opportunity that the MOM clinics give us to help our community,” said Sarah. “The happiness that we are able to give these patients makes it all worth it.”
It’s been said that NCMOM is, in fact, a special, lasting experience for those who come for treatment and for those who volunteer. But for the Tuckers, an NCMOM clinic in a tiny mountain town not only served as a meaningful way to serve the community, but also brought them together.
NCMOM-Greensboro is this weekend! Get more info:
Our next clinic will take place this Friday (11/11) & Saturday (11/12) at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC! We can’t wait to see everyone there. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- We are still in need of volunteers! Please click here to sign up.
- If you cannot volunteer, please help us by spreading the word.
- The clinic is set to run from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. However, the closing time on Saturday may vary.
- Patients: in order to guarantee that receive care, please arrive as early as possible. Some patients will get in line the night before clinic dates. This is the best way to ensure that you get seen. If you cannot get in line the night before, make sure to be at the clinic very early the next morning.
- Volunteers: If you are helping setup the clinic on Thursday, you may wear shorts and casual clothing, but you must wear closed-toe shoes. NO FLIP FLOPS OR SANDALS. If you are volunteering at the clinic Friday and/or Saturday, you must also wear closed-toe shoes AND long pants. This is for your safety. We will not accept any volunteers who don’t follow these guidelines (and we hate that!).
The North Carolina Dental Society Offers Halloween Candy Tips
CARY, N.C. — Halloween marks the start of a long candy- and dessert-intensive holiday season and that, says North Carolina Dental Society president Dr. Bob Hollowell, “is a good time to become more vigilant about how much sugar we consume, especially children.”
“Parents can let their children enjoy Halloween treats,” says Hollowell, “but it’s important they do so in a responsible way.”
Dental caries (cavities) are the most chronic childhood disease: 50% of children in the U.S. experience tooth decay by middle school and 70% by late adolescence. “During the holidays large quantities of sugar are consumed and it’s a time to be especially careful,” says Dr. Hollowell.
“When bacteria present in the mouth come into contact with sugar, they produce acid that attacks the teeth for 20 minutes or longer,” Hollowell says. “Repeated acid attacks can cause tooth enamel to break down, eventually resulting in decay.”
But all candies are not equally harmful. “Sticky candies such as gummies stick to the teeth longer, while others, such as chocolate are more quickly washed away with saliva or by rinsing. Hard sugary candies are held in the mouth longer, giving bacteria more time to create acid that weakens tooth enamel.”
“The popular sour candy is probably the worst because of its high acid levels,” warns Hollowell. “It’s also important for parents to realize that it is not the amount of sugar consumed that’s important, but how often. So, by nibbling small amounts of candy over long periods children can expose their teeth to acid levels that can cause decay.”
It takes up to 60 minutes for saliva to neutralize acid in the mouth, which means every time sugary foods or drinks are consumed, the teeth are under attack for an hour.
There are steps to enjoy Halloween treats and still help prevent tooth decay:
- Consume candy with meals rather than as snacks, because saliva flow increases during a meal.
- Brush or rinse after eating candy.
- Chew sugarless gum for 20 minutes after meals, because increased saliva flow helps wash out food and neutralize acid produced by dental plaque bacteria.
- Don’t suck on hard candy for a long period of time.
- Opt for quickly dissolved chocolates, as opposed to hard or sour candies.
- Use fluoride toothpaste or fluoride rinse to help remineralize tooth enamel broken down by acid.
- Avoid hard candy that can break a tooth or crack a crown.
- Don’t nibble. It’s better to enjoy several pieces of candy in one sitting (Four small pieces of candy eaten all at once cause less damage to tooth enamel than eating four pieces over a longer period of time.)
- Limit sugar intake to three meals and two snacks a day.
- Consider handing out healthy snacks – such as fruit or sugarless gum – to Trick or Treaters.
- See your dentist during or after the holidays to detect tooth decay early.
NCMOM-Dare County Info
The next NCMOM clinic is this weekend! The clinic will be held at the Dare County Parks and Rec. Center, 602 S. Mustian Street, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948.
Please consider signing up to volunteer at ncdental.org under the “NCMOM” page or by clicking here.
Parking information:
Everyone may park in the school parking lots near the clinic and walk from there. There is also parking at the Baum Senior Center, located a couple of blocks North on Mustian Street.
Important Volunteer Dress Code Information:
Unloading Day: If you are volunteering at the clinic on Thursday, we want everyone to be comfortable since this is unloading day. Patient note: The NCMOM clinic is not accepting patients until Friday Morning. Shorts and t-shirts are acceptable on unloading day. The only MUST is CLOSED-TOE SHOES. No sandals, flip-flops, etc. We are lifting and setting up, so toes are vulnerable if exposed!
NCMOM-Dare County
Hello, everyone!
The next NCMOM clinic is quickly approaching! The clinic will be at the Dare County Parks and Recreation Center from October 28th-29th in Kill Devil Hills, N.C. Please consider volunteering or helping us by spreading the word. Thank you for your continuous support.
We’ll post more information here as we receive it!
NCMOM-Sylva: Photos
We are up and running in Sylva, NC! We are so glad to be here! However, we are still in need of professional volunteers. Please help us spread the word!
Here are some photos from the clinic:
NCMOM-Sylva: Parking Info
Hello, everyone!
NCMOM-Sylva is right around the corner! We can’t wait to see everyone there. Please note that we are still accepting volunteers. Click here to sign up. If you would like to help but cannot volunteer, please help us by spreading the word. Thank you for your continuous support!
Parking for NCMOM-Sylva will be at the Community Services Building located at 538 Scotts Creek Rd, Sylva NC.
We will have people outside of the clinic helping with parking and directions, as well as some overflow parking. The Dept. of Transportation will be putting up flashing signs to help guide everyone to the clinic, so be on the lookout for those. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment on this post.
Thanks again. We can’t wait to see you at NCMOM-Sylva!
Dentists & Hygienists: NCMOM-Sylva still accepting volunteers
If you are a dentist or dental hygienist, It’s not too late to volunteer for NCMOM-Sylva! We need your support to help this clinic reach its full potential for helping those in need in the Sylva area. The more volunteers we have, the more people we can help.
To volunteer, simply click here.
If you cannot volunteer, but would still like to help, please assist us in spreading the word about this clinic.
An easy way to help: share a link to NCMOM’s Facebook, blog, YouTube or the NC Dental Society’s website with others through email or your own social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, blog, etc.) and tell people what we’re all about.
Thank you for your continuous support of NCMOM. You’re awesome!
Stay tuned for more information about NCMOM-Sylva. We will post information as we receive it.
NCMOM-Charlotte: A Thank You Message from Dr. Evan Miller
(From the Charlotte Observer)
In the teeth of this economy, $1 million in free dental care
From Drs. Kenneth Owen and Evan Miller, co-chairs of the North Carolina Missions of Mercy-Charlotte Ambassadors:
Thank you, Charlotte!
The numbers we’ve tallied show the amazing success of the free, ’round-the-clock dental clinic we held a few weeks back at the Charlotte Convention Center.
But first, we want to share stories from the volunteer event that treated more than 2,000 people who came in pain and in need.
We laughed with one patient who told us after treatment she felt “like I just won a prize on the Oprah show.”
We cried with another woman, whom we’d just given a partial denture, when she said through tears: “I never thought I would like myself again.”
The patient I (Dr. Miller) will remember most is the man who waved from the grandstands as he waited to have an aching wisdom tooth extracted. The man reminded me we had gone to school together as children. We visited a moment, then shook hands and hugged. Nothing speaks to the fragile nature of this economy and indeed, this life, as that moment did to me.
The event was put on by the North Carolina Missions of Mercy, a project of the N.C. Dental Society, which offers a dozen clinics around the state each year – thanks to donations from big-hearted folks across the state.
Charlotte’s was the biggest Mission of Mercy yet. The trucks rolled in a day before the clinic doors opened, and volunteers transformed the cavernous Hall B into a reception room, and Hall C into one of the world’s largest dental clinics.
In came 90 dental chairs, lab equipment, a state-of-the-art mobile x-ray van, a pharmacy, and all the accoutrements necessary to operate a dental clinic nonstop for the next 36 hours.
Patients began lining up a day in advance. To treat them, 901 dental professionals from Murphy to Manteo showed up, with a core contingent from the Charlotte area.
There were general practice dentists, oral surgeons, orthodontists, endodontists, periododontists, prosthodontis and pediatric dentists.
Supporting them were hygienists, dental assistants, lab technicians and dental students.
The result: $1,069,000 in dental services donated to 2,145 adult patients from around the region.
We examined and x-rayed, filled cavities, cleaned thousands of teeth – and yes, there were root canals. Beyond all that dentistry were people, businesses and organizations with no ties to dentistry. They gave us money and in-kind gifts – as well as their time.
Then, there were average citizens, 895 of them, who showed up to work some or all of the 72 hours we spent preparing, treating patients and dismantling the clinic.
There were retirees and students. Natives and transplants. Investment bankers. War veterans. Doctors, nurses and paramedics came, too. As did the clergy. And Mecklenburg’s district attorney.
Even the patients gave back. Some went from the dental chair to the floor to work as volunteers. One patient passed out snacks he’d brought for himself.
So thanks again, Charlotte. Particularly at this tough economic time, you showed what we can achieve when we all pull together in the spirit of giving.
NCMOM-Sylva: important message for pre-dental students
NCMOM-Sylva is NEXT WEEKEND (9/23-9/24)! NCMOM clinics are one of the few opportunities in North Carolina for undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students to volunteer their time to supporting and promoting better dental health in the state. If you are a pre-dental student interested in volunteering at NCMOM-Sylva, please note the following and thanks so much for your support:
- Please sign up at ncdental.org under the NCMOM tab. Select the “Pre-Dental Student Volunteer” option.
- Please be present for the shift for which you commit to volunteer.
- Upon signing up to volunteer, you will receive additional information regarding parking, hours, etc.
- We also need help loading the NCMOM trucks next Monday (9/19). If you are interested in helping with this, please email Chris Walker at christopherswalker@gmail.com.
Again, thank you so much for helping NCMOM. We really appreciate it. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to leave a comment on this post.
See you soon!
