DENTAL Health Week is being celebrated across the Far West with the Royal Flying Doctor Service putting smiles back on faces thanks to their remote oral healthcare service.
Lightning Ridge couple Emma-Lee Fretwell and Tiarnie McBride have been making the most of the service by ensuring regular checkups when RFDS are in town.
“Tiarnie had bad experiences with her teeth growing up and with previous dentists. She had nerve damage because of those experiences and she was petrified of going to a dentist. When we got together about three years ago, I worked really hard to encourage her because I used to be a dental assistant,” Ms Fretwell said.
“I’d already been seeing the RFDS for my check-ups and fillings for about seven years so I was telling her that she would be safe and looked after.
“What really stood out to us when she started going was how caring and considerate and patient the team were with her. They let me in the room and to hold her. They talked her through it, and they were very patient. They stopped when she needed them to, they respected her, and they never pushed her too far. It was just an amazing experience.”
Ms McBride recently required a root canal surgery, and said the team went above and beyond.
“It wasn’t something they would normally be able to do at Lightning Ridge but they were able to find a way to make it possible,” Ms Fretwell said.
“For her, that was so important because she already had that relationship with the dentist and that safety net.
“If the RFDS weren’t coming, I think Tiarnie’s teeth would have rotted. It has been such an incredible experience to the point when now Tiarnie is getting more confident to smile.”
The RFDS Dental Team, led by Dr Lyn Mayne, provides a dental health service not normally accessible in such remote regions.
“Everybody deserves a healthy smile which is why we are committed to providing care in the most isolated communities, where access to oral health specialists is very limited,” Dr Mayne said.
“Demand for our services are high and our team of dentists, oral health therapists and dental assistants work extremely hard to see as many patients as they can, right across Western and Far West New South Wales.”
The team’s dental care is offered through clinics at permanent facilities such as in Lightning Ridge, along with the RFDS dental van, a full dental surgery on wheels.
To book an appointment with the RFDS Dental clinic when it is in your community, call 0429 411 624.
