"We start our day setting up the dental tables to check each patient who comes in. We need to check the dentation of each patient. Some of them have been scheduled for extractions, so we have to make sure that they have identified the right teeth and patient. We go into the OR either before or after the surgical procedure, according to when the surgeon wants the teeth removed. The next step is to go down to the dental room to take impressions on the patients who need obturators. (These Palatal plates are prosthetic devices generally consisting of an acrylic plate and retention clasps of orthodontic wire, which covers a fistula of the palate. In simpler terms, a palatal obturator covers any fistulas (or "holes") in the roof of the mouth that lead to the nasal cavity, providing the wearer with a plastic/acrylic, removable roof of the mouth, which aids in speech, eating, and proper air flow. Source: Wikipedia). The impressions are made using stone molds, then prescriptions are written for the way the obturator has to be made in the lab. We then proceed back to the OR to help with the checking of the patients before they go into the OR… then we help out in the OR. So there’s lots of running to and fro. Another of our tasks is that we have to teach the mothers how to feed their babies with a bottle."
It's a jam-packed day for the dentists (Rosario Mayro DDS of Jenkintown, PA, and Natividad Gervasio DDS of Manila) who voluntarily give their time and expertise to Rotaplast to help these children, who would otherwise not receive dental and surgical intervention, towards better oral health.