The Importance of Oral Health and the Generosity of “Dr. G”

Are you afraid of the dentist? As a child, I remember an overwhelming fear. I had bad teeth (I think we ate too many sweeties growing up in the UK) so there were regular visits. One sunny summer’s day, I tried to escape from the dentist’s chair. As he turned away for a second, I jumped up and made a frantic dash down the hallway towards the pretty flower garden outside. I didn’t get far. My mother and the dental assistant joined forces, caught me and hauled me back, protesting, to the dental surgery.

Dr. Len Boksman (left) and Dr. Gary Glassman sit down for a chat. (My photo)

Those bad old days are gone. There is simply no need to be afraid any more, people. Honestly. But Dr. Gary Glassman of Toronto, Canada understands the fear. One’s mouth is “a highly charged area,” he told me as we sat down together in the University of Technology’s (UTech) dental school. “It’s the center of our being… But techniques and technology have changed.” It’s true. Even my husband (who used to turn to quivering jelly at the dentist) now bravely goes along without me to support him. He still sounds surprised at his own admission: “It didn’t hurt! It was fine!”

Now, Dr. Glassman is a special kind of dentist. He is the founder of the Goodwill Health Project, which teaches and supports dental studies in developing countries. Last month he and his colleague, Dr. Leendert (Len) Boksman were in Jamaica. From 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., for three solid days Dr. Glassman, who is Adjunct Professor of Dentistry at UTech, lectured in endodontics to second, third and fourth year students at the College of Oral Health Sciences, next to the Bustamante Children’s Hospital in Kingston. The students treated hundreds of patients during this period, supervised by the two Canadians and UTech lecturers.

Dr. Gary Glassman is Adjunct Professor of Dentistry and Director of Endodontic Programming at UTech and a staff member of the Faculty of Dentistry at the graduate department of Endodontics at the University of Toronto. (My photo)

Jamaicans have a favorite phrase – “giving back.” In other words, being generous with your time (and money, and available resources) to help others. Dr. Glassman is a busy man, but what he gives back is much more than a goodwill visit. But firstly – why Jamaica, I asked him? He told me he was vacationing in Negril in the late 1990s when Dr. Irving McKenzie (Dean of the College of Oral Health Sciences) approached him and invited him to give a lecture for the students. Dr. Glassman did so, and returned the following year for a workshop. Through his contacts in Canada, he procured and donated equipment and supplies (and he continues to do so). The visitors always donate their time to conduct outreach with the students, with free health clinics in rural areas.

Moreover, Dr. Glassman has given the recently-founded dental school (its first batch of students will graduate in November 2015) the benefit of his knowledge on the very latest advances in the field.  He has been able to impart direct, cutting-edge instruction to the students “way ahead of the curve,” he emphasizes – before the text books have been published. He has also offered advice on the College’s curriculum and helped create a clinical manual on endodontics, providing an invaluable “human resource and knowledge base,” according to Dr. McKenzie; He has participated in local conferences and workshops. He is constantly writing articles, and when he is not in Jamaica he emails them directly to the students. He shares his knowledge through online webinars that include animations on procedures. So, he is teaching Jamaican students both in Jamaica, and from his base in Canada. “We are constantly defining new standards,” says Dr. Glassman. Jamaican students and lecturers are not only benefiting but also actively participating.

One cannot put a monetary value on that.

“You need to establish a relationship with your students,” says Dr. Glassman. Here, he gets a UTech class going with some “Rapping for Obturation” – yes, that’s a technical term related to endodontics! (Photo: Metropolis Agencies)

Now, all this time you may be wondering what endodontics is. It took me a while to ask that question. Dr. Glassman replied in two words: “Root canals.” I shuddered involuntarily (I have experienced that myself, twice). “Endo” means “inside,” so this means anything that is going on inside the tooth. Dr. Boksman is a general dentist, doing fillings and restorative work. The canal is a hollow tube containing the nerve that goes down into the root (ouch!) But let us move on. Why is oral health so important?

Oral health (of course this includes the teeth, gums and tongue) is vitally important to one’s general health, the dentists told me. There is a connection with heart health; inflammation is a major source of illness in the body and if it exists in the oral cavity it can enter the blood vessels and cause hardening of the arteries and other problems. Gum disease has a strong connection with diabetes (which is extremely common in Jamaica) so healthy gums are vital. “People don’t understand the importance of dental health,” says Dr. Glassman, “because no one is dying from it.” Dr. Boksman added that it is not given the priority it deserves.

What advice would they give to Jamaicans to keep their mouths and teeth in good working order? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say. They are both firm believers in flossing – after every meal, if possible – and of course, regular visits to the dentist and brushing after meals, with a soft toothbrush. Flossing removes pieces of food between the teeth that can start to breed bacteria and decay. Our mouths are full of bacteria – not a pleasant thought, really. Do those fancy mouthwashes work? “For about five minutes,” says Dr. Glassman, “They freshen your breath, but the effects don’t last.” Never use mouthwash with alcohol in it, he adds; this dehydrates your gums. And don’t forget your tongue, which you should also brush – or buy a tongue scraper. Tip: Put a drop of tea tree oil on your tongue; it is a natural antiseptic and antibiotic.

Dr. Gary Glassman demonstrates an endodontics technique to students at UTech’s School of Oral Health Sciences in Jamaica. (Photo: Metropolis Agencies)

Dr. Glassman and Dr. Boksman are also huge fans of fluoride, which is added to the water in Canada. It really helps to strengthen the enamel of the teeth against decay. As for diet, avoid that terrible demon of sugar, they say. Bacteria feed on it, causing decay. Avoid refined food altogether, and especially sodas. We all know I think that they are extremely acidic and full of harmful chemicals. We should eat raw vegetables – carrots, celery etc.

Chewing cane requires concentration, and effort. But remember to brush your teeth afterwards. It is, after all, sugar!

And what about eating raw sugar cane, an enjoyable Jamaican practice? Your teeth always feel so nice and clean afterwards! They laughed. “Yes, the fiber is good, but not the sugar. Go and brush your teeth afterwards!”

Dr. Gary Glassman with University of Technology President Professor Errol Morrison, at a Diabetes and Oral Health Conference in Kingston last year. (Photo: Dr. Glassman’s blog)

Tooth decay prevention is low-cost, and the dentists and their students stress prevention to patients and to all the adults and children they encounter in their outreach. Dr. Glassman described his distress at having to remove a six-year-old’s quite new permanent teeth at a recent health fair.

So, have any of their patients ever fought back, as I did as a child? “A child bit me on the left finger,” laughed Dr. Boksman, “but I still have the finger,” holding it up.

I managed to catch Drs. Glassman and Boksman in their lunch hour; as soon as we had finished chatting, the Jamaican box lunches arrived and they dived into them, before returning to work. Time is of the essence, when you are doing so much good for others.

You can find Dr. Gary Glassman on Facebook, and on Twitter @doctorg007 (“Licensed to Drill”). He has a personal YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/DrGaryGlassman. You can also visit his blog at http://drgaryglassman.blogspot.ca

I then went on to meet some of the students and watch them at work. More on that in my next blog post.

Dr. Len Boksman and Dr. Gary Glassman share some thoughts. (My photo)