DEDICATED TO DENTISTRY

At free clinic, ECU dentists see lives change, including their own

Currently, 70 counties in North Carolina are designated as dental health professional shortage areas and 29 counties have fewer than two dentists per 10,000 people, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration. In two days, the Missions of Mercy clinic treated more than 650 patients and provided $400,000 in free dentistry, NCDSF said.

Nearly 100 East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine volunteers – students, alumni, even the dean – spent time aiding patients. All found joy in helping others, seeming to gain as much as they gave. Here are three of their stories:

‘This keeps me in the game’

Before entering Garber’s auditorium for treatment, patients first stopped at triage, where they were greeted by Bob Schiffel. A talkative retired dentist with clear blue eyes and short white hair, Schiffel took patients through x-ray readings, screenings and diagnoses. For him, the Missions of Mercy clinics are a chance to keep close to the career he loves.

Schiffel graduated from ECU with a biology degree in 1979 and went to UNC-Chapel Hill for dental school. He ran a bustling practice in Wilmington until his career was cut short in 2007. That was the year his hands began shaking after long days seeing patients.

Once, while he was working, a hygienist assisting on a procedure had to steady his hand for him. Realizing something was very wrong, Schiffel went to a doctor and was diagnosed with intention tremor syndrome.

“It’s somewhat common; a lot of people have a little shake. But you can’t do that with a scalpel or a high-powered tool in your hand,” Schiffel said.

After seeing a neurologist on a Friday, Schiffel didn’t go back to work on Monday. His days as a practicing dentist were done.

“It was devastating,” he said.

After retiring, Schiffel floundered a bit. He tried trading on the stock market. He dabbled in cooking. He didn’t feel like taking up golf. Then a friend invited him to volunteer at a Missions of Mercy clinic in Wilmington.

“There wasn’t a lot I could do except triage, but I thought, ‘I gotta do something, I can’t sit around,’” Schiffel said. He’s now in charge of triage at all Missions of Mercy clinics. He’s also a member of the NCDS Foundation board. He said he enjoys the clinical work as well as the opportunity to interact with current ECU dental students.

“This keeps me in the game. I didn’t just want to walk away,” he said.

‘It changed my life’

Inside the auditorium, Dr. Craig Brown can be found roving the large room, helping out in any way possible. Volunteering at a Missions of Mercy clinic years ago convinced Brown to go back to school at age 39 to become a dentist.

ECU School of Dental Medicine alumna Madison Crumley works with a patient at the Missions of Mercy Free Adult Clinic at Garber United Methodist Church in New Bern on Aug. 23.

Nine years ago, Brown was laid off from his job as a wetland biologist. He was unsure what his next career move would be, he said. Then he was invited to a MOM clinic.

“In those first two days I volunteered, I saw so many patients’ lives transformed,” he said. “There was one woman in particular, who, after getting partial dentures, was so excited. She said she could finally get a job with her new smile. I knew I had found the career I wanted. It changed my life.”

At the New Bern clinic, Brown ’16 volunteered as a full-fledged dentist. He entered a side room where technicians sat at whirring lathes, shaping dentures into new smiles for more patients. Holding one set up, he said, “This is going to change their lives, too.”

Brown recently bought his own dental practice in Swansboro. He said he felt overwhelmed but prepared after leaving ECU’s School of Dental Medicine.

“ECU’s rotations allow you to do more dentistry than at other schools and makes you clinically better upon graduation. It was a fantastic education,” he said. He even called Dean Gregory Chadwick after his first week of work to say thank you.

“I don’t know how many deans would answer a phone call from a former student on a Friday evening, but that speaks volumes,” he said.

‘I always knew I wanted to be a dentist’

Another alumna transformed by her dental education is Dr. Madison Crumley. She was part of the fifth graduating class from ECU’s dental school and is now a dental resident in Ahoskie.

At the clinic, Crumley spent time seeing patients as well as organizing and sterilizing tools at long tables stacked with tackle boxes full of donated equipment.

As a little girl, Crumley was fascinated with going to the dentist. “I’d ask to hold a mirror during check-ups so I could see what he was doing,” she said. “Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a dentist.”

Crumley was drawn to ECU’s dental school because its service-based mission and vision aligned with her own. ECU’s dental school focuses on primary care for rural and underserved areas, something she feels strongly about. She wanted to be at ECU so much that she applied three times. She got in on her third try.

“I even got into another school somewhere else and turned them down for ECU,” Crumley said.

Now, she’s one of 252 School of Dental Medicine alumni improving the oral health and quality of life for people across North Carolina.

The two-day Missions of Mercy dental clinic in New Bern in August treated more than 650 patients and provided $400,000 in free dentistry, according to the North Carolina Dental Society Foundation.