Adieu Saipan

I’m terrible at goodbyes.

Amy, what would I have done without you?!

So I’ll keep this short and tell you how you guys were the BEST part of my every day. Thank you for your friendship and the memories. I’ll never forget the laughter and happiness you brought to my life. Here are a couple pictures of my last week in Saipan.

My Saipan Family

My scuba buddy, Harry! Thanks for coming to the airport to see me off.

The SDA Dental Clinic had a farewell party for me. A favorite patient baked me a yummy Apple Coffee Crumb cake!


My daily sunshine at work! I'll miss Mark and Tammy James. Thank you for throwing me a farewell party at your house! I will also miss Aunt Judy and Uncle Dennis for teaching me how to scuba dive. You introduced a whole new world to me and now I'm ADDICTED!

Ken and Crystal gave me a beautiful lei from Chuk! I have had the time of my life and I'm so glad I got to spend it with them. They were my spiritual mentors in Saipan and have encouraged me to follow my passion and dreams. I'll miss you guys!

My good friends, John Dax and Mai. Always there to listen to me Rant about everything! There's Noah squeezing his cute face in the pic.

Lunch at 360 with Angelo. Thanks for the laughs!

If you have ever read the book Eat Pray Love you’ll understand me when I say that living and working in Saipan was my “India” experience. I came to Saipan on a quest for personal and spiritual growth and left with so much more. This journey changed my life. My heart has awakened and my soul is at ease.

This picture pretty much describes my experience in Saipan: A blast!

My beautiful friends.

And now I’m ready to grab life by its two horns. I hope you will continue to enjoy the ride with me. I’ll keep the same blog address but there will be some changes in the next couple of weeks. I’m still trying to come up with a new title. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Scott and Atsuko Eck baked me this yummy choco brownie cake! Thank you!

What’s Bubbles’ next adventure? Scuba diving and searching for Whale Sharks in Belize this June! Greg found this one just recently in Belize. I hope they come out when I get there. Stay tuned Neh !!!=)

Whale Sharkey! Picture taken by Greg Moretti.

Monday Madness

I had a great weekend but more on that later. Mondays seem crazier than any other day of the week at work. Here’s my first patient of the week. On some of my patients I take before and after pictures to show them the progress they have made. Oh and I also post to show my family and friends back home that I am working HARD and not just on a two year long vacation in paradise!!






It’s another fine example of my typical Betel nut and periodontal challenged dental patient in Saipan. Looks scary huh? I’m not grossed out at all since most of my patients look like this anyway. I like working with patients like this because you get to see the progress they go through as you work with them. After the stain removal I plan to do four quadrants of scaling and root planing with anesthetic. There’s a lot of bone loss though =( Hopefully this patient will respond well to the treatment otherwise its off to the Gum specialist they go.

Every October is National Dental Hygiene Awareness month and we are trying to focus on educating the public on the health risks of Periodontal (gum) Disease and the systemic implications. Fortunately I get to have some radio airtime on the Harry Blaylock show in October to talk about the health risks of Periodonatal (Gum) disease and why seeing your dentist and dental hygienist regularly can save your life.

Did you know that 75 % off Americans have some form of Periodontal (gum) Disease and don’t even know it? I’ve been reading up on a lot of studies that show a strong correlation between Gum disease and certain conditions like Heart Disease, Diabetes, and respiratory ailments. A lot of these health problems exist on Saipan. The other condition we always check for is oral cancer since Saipan has a lot of Betel nut and tobacco chewers. You'd be surprised how many cases of Oral Cancer go undiagnosed. Its scary.

More exciting news! I’m leaving this rock island for San Francisco for a week in September. I can’t wait! I’ll be attending the American Dental Association Annual Session to take some continuing education courses to maintain my RDH license. Dentists and Dental Hygienists fly in from all over the world to attend this huge convention! Besides meeting new people and seeing the guest speaker, Lance Armstrong at the convention . . . I can’t wait to hang out in downtown SF! Plenty to see and do in the bay area.

Six Month Hygiene Recalls

(sigh) I had a patient like this today. It was kind of comical but annoying at the same time. I'm starting to burn out.



I am starting to see my patients that I saw six months ago. I'm so happy to see a regular recall patient because it means three things. Their exam, probing depths, and xrays are up to date. Thats a very BIG thing. They are definitely alot easier to clean than say a pateint that hasn't been in an over a year to thirty years. Its also nice to see a familiar face and to catch up on what they have been up to.

In the dental world its my patients that make or break my day. With that said, I think it is insane to believe that people's habits will change no matter how encouraging you are. There might be an exception every now and then but for the most part . . . nothing changes. (sigh) So I have surrended and accepted that I should just keep doing my part at the office and leave it up to the patient if he or she wants to take care of their teeth. I use to get frustrated when they would come back and I would see that nothing about their oral condition has changed . . . but not anymore. Insanity and hygiene go hand in hand. I found this quote on insanity.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. ~ Albert Einstein

Improving Access to Dental Care in Saipan

We didn't have to talk about money or what their insurance co-payment was. We were just there to get people out of pain and discomfort. We came together as a team and shared the same heart as Jesus: to serve others.
I feel like this is what I came here to do. To be able to provide dental treatment to those who really need it.
Ever heard of someone who lived with a toothache for more than a year? On Sunday we saw plenty of patients who put up with pain for over a year due to financial restraints or lack of insurance to visit their dentist. We saw 66 patients and did over 80 dental procedures. Dr. Crystal Edmister and Dr. Ken Pierson extracted over forty teeth as well as other dental procedures like fillings. The other registered dental hygienist, Lori and I did a bunch of gross debridements on patients who hadn't seen the dentist in over 10 years. We provided over $10,000 worth of dental procedures. I think it was a success. Here's an article about our event in the Saipan Tribune news.

But still the sad fact is 40 percent of the population in the U.S. is not getting the dental care they need. I read the Surgeon General's Report 2000, Oral Health In America, and it called untreated poor health the "silent x-factor promoting the onset of life-threatening diseases which are responsible for the deaths of millions of Americans each year." Its a serious matter and unfortunately it doesn't get as much attention as it should.
Access to dental care is limited. I've seen it on my dental mission trips not only in Saipan but in other countries like the Philippines and Mexico.
Its hard because coming out of dental hygiene school you want to go out and make a difference. Now that I am out here I am realizing how great the epidemic is and how short handed we are. So, I guess I can only do what I can . . . save one mouth at a time.
Photo Credit: the Pierson's and Kuya Ernie

Off Island

One patient yesterday definitely made think twice about being a hygienist. I thought something died in his mouth. I had to wear two masks while rootplaning him. Anyways, I'm am officially on V A C A T I O N till June! My flight back home to Southern California leaves in two hours! Hasta!

Science Never Sucks!

I taught good oral hygiene, tobacco and betal nut cessation in Bree's science class this morning. I was a little hesitant about teaching middle schoolers because the other hygienist didn't have such a good experience with them before. I was just hoping I wouldn't get any attitude or wise cracks. I think for the most part it went really well. Bree's class was very smart and attentive.
I thought it would be fun to disclose the plaque in their mouth with the red tablets and to also have them look at bacteria from their mouth using the microscopes. The kids had fun laughing at each other and their pink teeth as well as looking at slides of bacteria from their mouths. Did you know that you have over 300 strains of bacteria in your mouth? Gross, i know.
Another important topic I wanted to talk about was tobacco and betal nut cessation. I asked the class how many of them chew and I'd say that about half of them raised their hands. So slowly I listed all the reasons why betal nut and tobacco chewing was bad for them. I'm hoping that I got through to them. Its just hard to see them start a nasty habit like chewing at such a young age. Anyways, Thanks Bree for letting me come teach your class!

At It Again.

I taught two fifth grade classes at San Vicente Elementary School. My favorite thing: hearing the kids laugh at my silly story about the importance of their teeth. Classroom management can be tough especially if the kids are hyper. I have a new found respect for teachers and what they put up with. Patience is really key. Some cute questions they asked me: what do you do if your girl friend doesn’t brush her teeth and are you single? Twas a great day.



Btw, still uploading pics from my Palau diving trip. I'm working on a slide show. Stay tuned!=)

I miss Palau already! Kayaking around the Rock Islands.

Bunny Ears

Happy Happy. The kids have been fantastic these last few days. I taught two classes at the Saipan Community School. The first class was the 7th and 8th graders. I noticed how very attentive they were especially when they knew I would quiz them at the end and hand out prizes for correct answers. The sixth graders were hilarious! The class was divided. The boys on one side and girls on the other. It took me awhile to get them to sit together. My presentation overall went okay. I kept messing up the story. I'm a bad story teller! I kill stories and jokes=(

"Good Morning Miss Bev"

Feb. is National Children's Dental Month and the SDA Dental Clinic is offering free dental exams for children valued at $70. Part of my job out here is to teach good oral hygiene and caries preventiion at the local elementary schools twice a month. Yesterday the other registered dental hygienist on island, Lori, and I taught two third grade classes at Garapan Elementary School. Marconi came and made a report about our visit to the classrooms. You can read more about it in the Saipan Tribune News today here.

I have to admit that up until yesterday I only liked teaching adults. Thus that is why I have been teaching the elderly at the Manamko House for the past month. But after my experience yesterday, I have had a change of heart about teaching kids. I guess there is just something about 25 kids enthusiatically saying "good morning Miss Bev" that lifts my spirit=)

We started off our presentations with a short story about the importance of teeth. Lori is a great story teller by the way. After the story we had a question and answer session. You'd be amazed what kids would do for stickers. During the presentations we had two volunteers come up and gave them some red tablets to chew. After chewing the red tablets we had them smile and show their classmates what plaque looks like. It was funny to see the kids reactions all in sync saying, "ewwww, gross!"

I worried about classroom management, kids glazing over of boredom . . . but after yesterday I realized its just all about having fun.

10 Lies of A Dental Hygienist

1. I’m not the brutal one ;)
2. Relax. You won’t even know I’m here.
3. Some patients fall asleep in my chair.
4. This new flavor of fluoride tastes much better. (fluoride makes me gag)
5. I’ll have you out of here in no time.
6. I’m not obsessive compulsive!
7. Flossing gets easier with practice. (yeah right)
8. If it hurts, hold up your left hand and I’ll stop. (No I won’t, you better not move!)
9. That wasn’t so bad was it? (heh)
10. I haven’t lost a patient yet.

Okay, maybe only my RDH friends will truly understand these “sayings”. I laugh because most of these I say throughout the day. I must be lying all day. But no seriously! If you live in Saipan and you need a thorough teeth cleaning . . . book an appointment with me at SDA Dental clinic!!!! Just ask Steve. He can vouch for me=)

Morning Talk

A short conversation between my patient and me.

Me: Hello. How are you doing today?
Him: fine.
Me: Are there any changes in your health since we last saw you?
Him: I'm more uglier
Me: laughs
Me: Do you have any complaints about your teeth?
Him: Yes. My gums bleed.
Me: Are you able to floss at all?
Him: No. I don't like to find things inbetween my teeth. Its gross.
Me: So you would rather leave the junk in there?
Him: yes
Me: *sigh*

Thank goodness I wear a mask that covers half of my face. The mask covers my facial expression when I am about to laugh hard or when I am horrified by what I find in people's mouths. My patients make me laugh and keep my day going!