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A reason to smile
Elizabeth Huff
The Enquirer

All she needs is an electrical outlet and a place to wash her hands. Dollie Black is a licensed registered dental hygienist with a portable clinic. She sets up in churches, schools or just about anywhere to provide preventive dental services to people on a sliding scale. When she started working as a dental hygienist for Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services, she said it was just a job. But during the 10 years she worked there, she realized that she has a heart for serving people who may not have the opportunity to get regular dental care. "Everybody deserves to have a healthy mouth and not be in pain," she said.She described a case where she learned not to judge a person until she'd had a closer look — inside the mouth."You have a person who comes in and they are the meanest person," she said. "You find out it's because their tooth hurts and they haven't slept in days." At the Presbyterian Health Clinic of Branch County, patient Geraldine Peterson knew the pain an untreated toothache could bring."She's right — you don't sleep," said Peterson, of Coldwater.
Peterson was the first of Black's patients at the free clinic she held last week. She spoke with her lips barely parting."My mouth is a wreck," said Peterson, 35, who recently paid mostly out-of-pocket for a tooth to be pulled by a dentist in Union City. With two other broken teeth and one that was about to crack, she would consider getting dentures if they didn't cost $5,000.
"I don't have dental insurance," she said. "Even as a child my parents didn't have insurance. ... I didn't get dental care."
It was Peterson's first visit to Black's dental clinic. Even though she said she didn't like anyone looking into her mouth, she was willing to let Black do what she could. "There are many people that are much younger than her that do need their teeth pulled and do need dentures," Black said.Instead of focusing on the bad teeth, she tried to accentuate the positive by pointing out Peterson's healthy teeth and encouraging her to continue doing preventive care for her teeth.
Black often says to her patients, "Boy, the first step to getting better is being here, so you should be proud of that," she said. "I'm very proud of them for making that step."
"She makes everyone feel comfortable," said Black's dental assistant, Patty Kucera.
Kucera followed Black into the portable dentistry service.
"I felt like I made more of a difference working in public health," she said.

Black said when she sees a mouth full of decay, she goes in with an open mind and is not judgmental.