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, I began my volunteer work organized by the Remote Area Medical® or RAM, which provides free dental, medical, and vision care to homeless and low-income individuals in Sacramento and Oakland. I restored teeth for people who’d 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 their broken, decayed, and infected teeth, I can’t stop coming back to volunteer for similar organizations since then.
Every two or three months, I spend 20 or more hours donating my dental expertise at free care events such as California Dental Association-CDA Cares, the Sonrisas Community Dental Center in Half Moon Bay, and California CareForce. I have participated in CDA Cares and California CareForce providing free dental care to the people in San Jose, Modesto, Sonoma, Sacramento, Oakland, Pomona, San Diego, Mather City, Grass Valley, Fresno, Ventura, and Stockton. I think it is very important that I can help the poor and unfortunate because I was one of them. Without the kind and generous support of Americans, I would not have been sponsored to come to the United States in June 1990, and I would not have been able to accomplish what I have achieved. I am very grateful to all of the people who have helped me and I wish to return their generosity by helping others.
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 need to wait for the next event in the area. These six patients have been very fortunate to meet Dr. Nguyen for their treatments.
VOLUNTEER WORK CASE 1
VOLUNTEER WORK CASE 2
VOLUNTEER CASE 3
VOLUNTEER CASE 4
Patient visited us again and was very happy after his treatment.
VOLUNTEER CASE 5
This man had this condition since eight years.
Dr. Nguyen gave him a new smile in 1 day.
VOLUNTEER CASE 6
Diagnosis:
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.
Treatment & Result:
It was a struggle to stop the gum bleeding through anaesthetic 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 big gap. The tooth was very tiny, 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 life long 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.
VOLUNTEER CASE 7
Patient before treatment
This is 4 hours later
VOLUNTEER CASE 8
Patient before treatment
This is 2 hours later
VOLUNTEER CASE 9
Patient before treatment
This is 1.50 hours later
STOCKTON ON OCTOBER 16-17, 2016
Patient before treatment
This is 1.50 hours later
Before
After 1 hour same day
Before Treatment
After 1.50 hour on the same day
Before
After 3 hours on the same day
Patient 3.5 years ago
After 3.5 years
Scott and my assistant, Dr. Mitch
