So, what is the One Million Smiles project?
The project quite literally aims to put a smile back on one million faces (we’re not counting, though!). It’s all about treating a large number of fully edentulous (completely toothless) patients for virtually nothing in the Middle East and Asia. Those who are toothless are often the same people who cannot afford to have dentures made, so the project aims to help them out.
Why did you start it?
A while ago I was invited to present a lecture at New York University. Just prior to my lecture an award was given to Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark, a Swedish surgeon who pioneered the use of titanium for dental implants in the 60s. In his acceptance speech, he spoke of the 20 million people in China who had no teeth. This touched me and I felt I had to do something, so I began the One Million Smiles project to help edentulous people in the Middle East and Asia.
What’s the worst set of gnashers you’ve seen?
I had a patient years ago, a psychiatrist, who came to me… all I can say is she looked ugly. Her teeth were so dirty they looked like they were almost outside her mouth! She hadn’t brushed them in years. It was a real disaster! After a quick chat, we started a comprehensive treatment to give her a nice smile and pearly whites. She looked stunning afterwards and after six months found the love of her life and was married in the same year.
Give us some tips to keep our teeth pearly white.
Unfortunately the colour of teeth is set up at the time of their formation, before they emerge from the gum, which makes it very difficult to control their colour. You can avoid staining through daily meticulous oral hygiene and by seeing a dentist at least once or twice a year. Bleaching teeth, which can be good option in some cases, is fine if you have strong teeth, but if not, the result will not look natural and you will be disappointed.
Who suffers from tooth decay most?
It’s so often said, but be careful with sugary foods. In contact with saliva, sugars are transformed into acids and teeth can be affected by acids. When acids have been able to affect the teeth surfaces, bacteria can then start penetrating into the teeth and start developing a cavity. Scientific studies have proved that brushing is not actually related to decay formations. But don’t stop brushing! Brushing teeth is closely related to periodontal disease which is a major cause of teeth loss…
What can we do to help the project?
We need dentists, we need support and we need you. Even if your help is just a small drop in the ocean, people need that drop from you and lots of drops will all add up. So, please get in touch, even if it is just a Dhs10 donation.
How can someone who can’t afford dentist rates benefit from the project?
In the case of RP4Baghdad, which is another humanitarian project I am involved in (it treats badly injured civilian people in Iraq), the case selection is done by Médecins Sans Frontières. In other places it could be the local hospital or university running the project. In the One Million Smiles project, patients with no teeth on the lower jaw and a denture that needs stabilising are usually selected. You mostly find these people in small villages in the countryside.
Tell us your favourite toothpaste.
I haven’t got one! Putting toothpaste in contact with teeth for four minutes per day can hardly change something in your mouth. Some studies have even shown that there was no significant difference between using a toothpaste or not! I’m not telling you to stop using toothpaste, but the mechanical action of the tooth brush is much more important than the paste itself.
Tell us how to get in touch.
I can be contacted at the Alabama Dental Center (04 394 8222) or go to www.frenchdentistdubai.com. Sum the project up in three words Giving back smiles.
