LYNN — After Broadway Family Dental’s second aid trip to Guatemala with the His Love Foundation, local volunteers gained a new perspective on dental work.
Owner of Broadway Family Dental and Ward 1 Councilor Dr. Peter Meaney and his team at Broadway Family Dental traveled to Santa Rosa, Guatemala from Oct. 30 to Nov. 6 to provide medical service to the community. His Love Foundation Co-founder and President Maribel Matul-Ramirez, joined by her husband, Ward 2 Councilor Obed Matul, led the mission in her home country.
Dr. Meaney said the previous trip only had one dentist providing service, but this time, Dr. Neha Patel, also from Broadway Family Dental, and Dr. Estuardo Hernandez, from Guatemala, also volunteered.
The team was joined by Ret. 1st Sgt. Wayne Johnson and Attorney Donald Castle, both of Lynn, and Mitchel Hoar, who volunteered as well.
“This was a total team effort. There was not one individual that could have done this,” Dr. Meaney said.
The team held the clinic on Nov. 1 and provided dental service to more than 75 residents of the community, he said. They also set up a food pantry the following day with bags of corn, rice, vitamins, and other necessities.
“We didn’t turn anyone away,” Dr. Meaney said. “Everyone that showed up got service.”
“We worked all day. We were able to provide care to everybody in the town who needed a cleaning or any type of emergency extraction,” Dr. Patel said.
The group rented out a warehouse space and set up their own make-shift dental clinic. They brought down some equipment of their own and rented the rest from the area.
In short, Dr. Meaney said the experience was humbling. He said he felt the team gained more out of the experience emotionally than the patients did medically.
“It was just rewarding,” Dr. Patel added.
One child patient had baby teeth mixed in with his adult teeth, Dr. Meaney mentioned. After they treated him, his mom had tears of joy.
“To be honest, I teared up also,” he said.
Upon returning to Lynn, Dr. Meaney and Dr. Patel said they learned the difference between dental needs and wants, such as getting Invisalign versus removing a tooth to be able to eat.
Everyone who volunteered this year has already committed to returning next year, Dr. Meaney added.
