Volunteer Work

I feel very fulfilled, every time I look at a patient’s new smile, in my private practice or a volunteering event. To see my patient living happily delights me. It takes a lot of hard work, lots of studying, meeting other colleagues & exchanging experiences, going to international lectures and learning about new techniques, advances in dental equipment technologies & material science. This is what life is about, to overcome challenges and to make a difference in someone’s life.
– Dr. Nguyen

In 2009, Dr. Nguyen began volunteer work organized by Remote Area Medical (RAM), which provides free dental, medical, and vision care to homeless and low-income individuals in Sacramento and Oakland. She restored teeth for people who had not been able to afford dentistry for more than 20 years. After seeing patients waiting in lines for more than 24 hours to get help with broken, decayed, and infected teeth, she hasn’t stopped coming back to volunteer for similar organizations since.

It is important to Dr. Nguyen that she can help the poor and unfortunate because she was once one of them. Without the kind and generous support of Americans, she would not have been sponsored to come to the United States in June 1990, and would not have been able to accomplish what she has achieved. She is very grateful to all of the people who have helped her and wishes to return their generosity by helping others.

Dr. Nguyen volunteers every two to three months and typically donates 20 or more hours per event.

Organizations

Remote Area Medical (RAM)
California Dental Association — CDA Cares
Sonrisas Community Dental Center
California CareForce

Locations Served

San Jose, Modesto, Sonoma, Sacramento, Oakland, Pomona, San Diego, Mather City, Grass Valley, Fresno, Ventura, Half Moon Bay, and Stockton.

Night Before My Volunteer Work

Volunteer Work in Action

Sometimes up to 7,000 people attend volunteer events. Because of limited availability of volunteer dentists, only a small group of patients can be treated and the rest wait for the next event in the area. These patients were fortunate to meet Dr. Nguyen for their treatments.

Case Studies

Case 1

Case 2

Case 3

Case 4

Patient visited us again and was very happy after his treatment.

Case 5

This man had this condition for eight years. Dr. Nguyen gave him a new smile in one day.

Before

After

Case 6 — 16-year-old with severe gingivitis

This 16-year-old patient has severe gingivitis. Her cavities are reaching deep into her bleeding gum. A bleeding gum is the devil in dentistry; it makes it very difficult to rebuild the patient's correct and natural smile. It was a struggle to stop the gum bleeding through anesthetic injection and topical means. Her upper jaw is so narrow the front teeth twisted inward, and she had a large space after all cavities were removed. Her upper left lateral had a huge gap; the tooth was very tiny, and Dr. Nguyen had to craft a shadow to make that tooth look natural. On a young patient you have to restore each tooth separately since the jaw is still growing until the age of 25. Binding these teeth together would make them intrude and they will look shorter than other teeth by the time the patient is fully grown. A dentist needs to think in lifelong terms for the patient and choose the treatment that lasts “forever.” In just a little over 3 hours Dr. Nguyen restored the smile of this young patient.