Day 6 3rd clinic day and River Ants

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3rd Clinic Day and River Ants

A slow clinic day, patient-wise, a challenging one procedure-wise.  7 patients, 6 tough extractions with Gloria taking care of a baby tooth that needed to come out.  In review, there is a lot of fluoride in the water here on the Maasai Mara.  Indeed, there is so much fluoride that most of our patients have fluorisis.  Which is a dark brown staining of the enamel.  Most aren’t bothered by it, so we don’t mention it.

But, what we found two years ago, and it is supported this time around, it is the wisdom teeth that give the local folks their biggest problems.  Primarily the lower wisdom teeth.  You know the ones most of you had removed when you were 16-18 years old.  Probably more due to not ideal hygiene, decay will start in these teeth and by the time they hurt, a lot of them are decayed close to or below the gum line. 

That’s the challenge.  Getting them out with little to grab on to.  Thankfully we have x-rays so I can see how badly the roots are contorted and twisted.  Then the work begins.  Without getting too graphic, it is surgery with removal of gum and bone.  Slow, methodical and careful.  I don’t want to leave any root tips, etc.  So, a good challenge for an old dentist!

And now, a few words about ants.  I call them ‘river ants’.  We walk to the Tent Resort, by the back way, past the generator, motor pool and the back door to the kitchen.  Across the path, is a line of ants that almost defies description.  The ‘river’ is the ants cruising back and forth, and the banks of the river are millions more!  It is about 3 inches wide with a solid bank of ants on either side of the ‘river’. 

The problem last night was I didn’t see the river, stepped right into it and managed to drag a ton of ants with me to dinner.  Not knowing at the time exactly what I did, I was hopping out of my chair, as I was getting bit, throughout the meal, killing ants and shaking them out of my pants.  Finally, after walking back to the clinic, I took my jeans off and shook out another dozen of the critters.  Tonight, the river was in a different place on the path, just as ferocious, we broad jumped over it.