Caring and Positivity Marked The Southern Maryland Mission of Mercy

Dr. Silberman was a volunteer at The Southern Maryland Mission of Mercy clinic on Friday, July 27, 2018. Doc was in the triage unit and felt fortunate to have this opportunity to help so many patients he met that day.

What is The Southern Maryland Mission of Mercy?

Dental services are provided for anyone 19 years old and older unless the patient cannot be treated due to medical issues. All dental care is provided by dental professionals. If patients need follow-up access, arrangements are made with local dentists to care for those individuals if necessary.

Lines of patients form early in the morning and services are provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. Over the course of the two-day event, approximately 600 to 800 patients are treated each day.

Who volunteers to work at these SMMOM events?

Over 1,000 committed volunteers donate time including dentists, dental assistants, hygienists, oral surgeons, physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and dental/hygienist students. Community volunteers without special dental or medical training also participated by being patient escorts, overseeing registration, security, parking, and more.

Where, when, and who pays for this huge event to help members of our community?

The gymnasium at North Point High School in Waldorf, MD was converted into a dental clinic for two days. The set up for this event was huge, taking many volunteers two days to accomplish. Tear down also is a massive undertaking.

To learn more about sponsorship and partners who helped to fund the logistics and dental care offered, visit the official  Southern Maryland Mission of Mercy website. Information can also be obtained using the following contact information:

Southern Maryland Mission of Mercy (SMMOM)
28095 Three Notch Road
Mechanicsville, MD 20659
Tel: 301-884-4438

Wow, they do all of that?

Free services provided at each SMMOM event include:

• Preventive dental exams and cleaning
• Nutritional counseling
• Restorative fillings
• Extractions
• Some oral surgery
• Some root canal therapy

Dr. Silberman’s thoughts about the day: positivity!

In a word, “AMAZING” is how I describe the logistics and services of The Southern Maryland Mission of Mercy. It is a very efficient setup. Patients first went to registration, then to the medical history area, then to triage (diagnosis), and then escorted to treatment. There is much warmth and personal caring in the room despite the large number of people. There is a dynamic quality between the volunteers.

It is a pleasure to be part of the very positive energy between all the volunteers, those in the dental field and the many who are not. The patients are appreciative and have interesting stories to tell.

Loving-kindness is what is integral to life as I see it. Many people do not realize how much dental health impacts general health. Certainly, no one should live with the pain caused by dental infection. No one should become seriously ill from dental infection. And no one should be forced to eat pureed food or liquids because they have lost many teeth from decay.

I thank those who organized this outstanding Mission of Mercy: Dr. Joan J. Emberland for her direction and coordination of this event this year and Dr. Garner Morgan who has headed this huge undertaking for many years. I will be happy to volunteer for Mission of Mercy in the future.

If you would like to contribute to future SMMOM events, you can do so by going to the website: https://southernmdmom.org/

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