Spotlight on DCM's Lead Dentist

When Sophie joined DCM as a volunteer dentist eight years ago, she had no idea how much it would mean to her. At the time, she was overwhelmed with her son in hospital. Volunteering might have seemed like one more thing to juggle, but she felt drawn to do it anyway.

Now, she proudly says DCM’s dental clinic “punches above its weight,” achieving so much with so little. She has seen first-hand how unbearable tooth pain can be and how it affects every part of life. “Fixing a tooth might seem small for us, but for them, it’s huge,” she says. “Not only do they feel better, but their head is clearer. They can finally take in what their social worker has been telling them.”

At DCM, there is no cost or time limit for patients which is something Sophie finds rare in dentistry. “In private practice, we are always juggling time and what the patient can afford,” she explains. “It is heart-breaking when we see someone settle for a treatment that is second or third best because that is all they can pay for.”

Although all DCM dentists are volunteers, DCM covers the cost of a dental assistant. However, to stretch the budget further, Sophie currently works alone. The goal is to expand the clinic to five days a week and employ a dental assistant to streamline services. “There is a will and a need,” she says. “It just takes money.”

In 2024, a donation from Ivoclar allowed the clinic to upgrade tools they had previously gone without. “This donation means we can finally afford better equipment,” Sophie says. “It did not change what we deliver to patients, but it made a huge difference to how well we can do our work.”

For Sophie, volunteering at DCM is about more than dentistry. “Working at the DCM dental clinic grounds me,” she says. “It feeds me. People see it as selfless, but I don’t. This is what I need to do to feel good about myself. And it makes me happy that we can achieve so much.”