Remember Eladia and Luis from the other day? Well, first off, her name is Hilaria. It was very difficult to understand her speech due to her cleft palate. You may have noticed that in the photo she is not smiling. She had little to smile for, having no front teeth and other teeth that were not in good shape.

This week our dental team of Drs. Gary Howard and Rosie Ziaie Matin (photo: back left) extracted her problem teeth and they were able to fashion a dental appliance that gave her front teeth for a beautiful smile. Dr. Janet Salomonson (photo: back right) performed a simple surgery on her upper lip to improve her functioning and appearance.

At today’s post operation clinic they were both back. Hilaria’s dental appliance was a bit painful due to her recent oral surgery but she wore it anyway. She had an air of confidence not at all present last weekend and she gladly posed for photos with the doctors. There is no doubt that the compassion and skill of our Rotaplast team has given her new opportunities in her life. We all wished her well.

Jerry Meshulam
Photojournalist-Oaxaca 09