Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Oct 02/02) - A little taste of life in the Kivalliq for a dental therapist has led to quite an appetite for Northern living.

Open up and say ah is the order of the day for Lori Akerolik as she has her teeth examined by Rankin Inlet dental therapist Faye Souter at Maani Ulujuk middle school. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

Faye Souter spent two months in Coral Harbour this past year gaining practical experience.

And, the new dental therapist at Maani Ulujuk middle school in Rankin Inlet readily admits her time in Coral had a big impact on her future plans.

"Without the Coral Harbour experience, I don't think I would have came to the North," says Souter.

"The people there really made me feel welcome.

"They have a great sense of humour and a good family life, which I found very appealing."

Born and raised near Banff, Alta., Souter has been in the dental profession since 1995.

A graduate of both the dental assisting school at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary and the National School of Dental Therapy in Prince Albert -- Souter and her family hope to spend the next few years in Rankin.

"I'm available at the school Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"If someone has an emergency, and they want to contact me, I could see them after hours, but people should really make the effort to come before 5 p.m."

A dental therapist provides a wide variety of skills to a community, including preventative services such as teeth cleaning and X-rays, restorative work on adults and children such as white or silver fillings, and simple primary and permanent extractions.

Souter spent a good deal of her time this past week conducting screenings for a visiting dentist.

"Basically, I prepared the children who returned the signed consent forms distributed at the school.

"Any parent who didn't receive the consent form should contact me at the dental therapy office."

As with most health-care providers, Souter says she'd rather teach people good preventative dental-care habits, than deal with the inevitable and painful results of poor oral hygiene.

"We're just getting a brushing program under way at the school and we're going to start working with the preschool and day-care kids.

"I'll also be sitting down with the public health workers to see what else we can establish in the community to aid prevention."