We have two dentists with us on this mission. Normally they are present to extract teeth that, during surgery, it has been determined, need to be removed. One dentist is a newcomer to Rotaplast missions and he is an orthodontic resident from North Carolina. The other dentist is a woman from Uruguay and is veteran of nearly thirty missions with Rotaplast.
It appears that most patients with a cleft palate have teeth that need to be aligned. I would call the teeth very disorganized and crowded. After the cleft palate surgeries have healed, then the expanders and braces give the teeth a chance to grow in more normally.
A fact about Venezuela that I recently learned is that gasoline is highly subsidized. Our Rotary host tells me that 1000 gallons will cost just $6.00. The price remains low to keep the population happy. The last two times that gasoline prices were increased the government in power was voted out during the next election.
