Seeking Stories of Dentistry as a Corporal Work of Mercy

Hey all. Problems with your teeth can cause serious health issues; missing or damaged teeth can keep you from getting jobs, and can be both symptom and cause of depression and despair. And yet there’s even less support for dental care in the US than for other forms of health care, and people with bad teeth are often blamed for them and given less help or compassion rather than more.

I’m working on a piece about the spiritual aspects of dentistry: dentistry as a way of restoring people’s health, their hope, and their ability to see themselves as human beings, made in the image of God. If you know of people I should talk to, PLEASE send them my way; please send me any relevant articles or studies you know about; and, above all, if you’ve worked in pro bono dentistry or have a story to tell about the way dentists treated you (positively or negatively) when you were poor or trying to deal with the consequences of prior bad health care or mental illness, please email me! I’m at [email protected] . THANKS.

Toy teeth via Flickr.