Faces
eeing children in the Embera village of Panama smile is one of the most rewarding sights for dentist Chris Burseth. The wide grins don’t simply mean happi-
ness—they show that Burseth, his family and others are making a difference. Mission Save a Smile, founded in 2007, has aided hun-
By Jeff Favre
Mission trip develops into reason to smile S
dreds of people in remote areas of Panama, including the San Blas island of Achutupu. With the latest in portable equipment, some of which has been developed through work by Mission Save a Smile, people who had never seen a dentist are receiving high quality dental care. Burseth and other dentists, aided by volunteers from his
congregation, Bethany Lutheran, Crystal Lake, Ill., provide extractions, root canals and even full dentures. Mission Save a Smile was inspired by Bethany’s mission
work in Costa Rica. “I was helping with construction work at the time, in 2005 and 2006,” Burseth said. “I like doing construction. During that time I saw there was a substan- tial need for dental care not being addressed and that I had the skill to help.” Burseth gave some basic assistance on those trips, but he
and his family wanted to create a larger project. In 2007 he attended an education seminar in Panama. He visited the Embera village in the rain forest and learned that dental care was a major medical concern. Later that year, Mission Save a Smile was born, followed soon by the first official visit to Embera. The first trips involved a variety of unusual work-
arounds for equipment, including using scuba tanks to supply air for the dental drills. Eventually more advanced equipment was transported to Panama, including two mili- tary field unit dental chairs. The initial success led to adding other villages to the
twice-yearly visits. In 2009 the ministry added Achutupu, which lacks electricity and running water. “We see 600 chil- dren there,” Burseth said.
Volunteers with Mission Save a Smile care for patients in Embera village. Chris Burseth and his family, with help from Bethany Lutheran Church, Crystal Lake, Ill., started the project to provide dental care in remote areas of Panama.
As the years have progressed, the work has made a sub-
stantial difference in dental health. The other component, dental hygiene education—along with giving toothbrushes, toothpaste and fluoride treatments—translates into a positive outlook for the future. “We are able to reinforce preventative instruction every time we go,” Burseth said. A new goal is to create a building dedicated to health care,
which would allow the ministry to further expand. Members of Bethany have been instrumental in Mission
Save a Smile as translators, data processors, equipment steril- izers and assistants to the dentists. “Everyone at Bethany has supported us,” Burseth said. “It’s really made a difference.
To learn more: www.
missionsaveasmile. org; email Burseth at missionsaveasmile@
hotmail.com.
Author bio: Favre is an assistant professor at Pierce College in Los Angeles and a freelance theater critic.
100 + birthdays
105: Laura Omdahl, Washington Prairie, Decorah, Iowa. 103: Dorothy Speer, St. John, Farmington Hills, Mich.; Amelia Williams, Christ, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 102: Arlene Teets, Grace, Rochester, Pa. 101: Lenora Leistikow, Burr Oak, Decorah, Iowa; Marie Sersland & Hazel Wangsness, Washington Prairie, Decorah, Iowa. 100: Edith Bertelsen, Holy Cross, Wheat Ridge, Colo.; Anna Jasmin, Christ the King, Wilbraham, Mass.; Edith Johnson, Holy
Cross, Glenwood City, Wis.; Mabel Leese, St. Mary, Silver Run, Md.; Myrtle Lynne, First, Plaza, N.D.; Gladys Moore, Gloria Dei, Iowa City, Iowa; Myrtle Nesset, Trinity, Jacksonville, Fla.; Evelyn Olson, Trinity, Sparta, Wis.; Thelma Stensen, Calvary, Millbrae, Calif.; Wilma Treinen, St. Paul, Remsen, Iowa.
September 2014 43
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