INUVIK - Relieving dental pain is on the minds of two Inuvik residents as they head to Africa on the first overseas trip for the Healthy Smiles Society.

Brian Terry, left, and Simon Jozzy will travel to Zambia to provide dental care for people living in Mongu. It's the first trip for the Healthy Smiles Society, based out of Inuvik. - Samantha Stokell/NNSL photo

Simon Jozzy, the dental therapist at Sir Alexander Mackenzie School, and Brian Terry, a finance clerk with the GNWT, will travel to Zambia for the inaugural humanitarian trip by the charity created by Jozzy. The Healthy Smiles Society has a goal of providing dental care clinics in developing countries.

"In their country they have no dental programs to relieve pain and suffering," Jozzy said. "People don't realize a tooth can be fixed. Dental pain is a part of life because they have no programs."

Jozzy, originally from Zimbabwe, came up with the idea for the society in 2004 on a trip home from Canada. In the first few days, he fixed the teeth of family members and word got around the village that a dentist was in town. He ran out of dental supplies, but people still wanted help.

"People didn't understand that I couldn't help," Jozzy said. "It wasn't fair to the people and I got disappointed and thought, 'What do I need to do to help?'"

So Jozzy came back to Inuvik and started the Healthy Smiles Society. In 2009 he went on a trip with Kindness in Action doctors to South Africa to practice. Now that the society has enough funds, the group will make its first trip.

Jozzy, Terry and four others will travel to Mongu, the capital of Zambia, and Kaoma between July 8 and 23. They will spend a week in each area performing cleanings, extractions and fillings. No cosmetic work will be done, only work to relieve pain and reduce infections.

The conditions they will work in will be quite different from those in Canada. They could be outside on a chair with a pillow behind their head or laying on a bed with a desk lamp for light. Without electrical lights, the assistants might have to simply hold flashlights to light the mouths of patients.

They expect to treat at least 500 patients, with each dentist treating approximately 15 patients per day. The equipment they will use is donated by Kindness in Action, the charity that Jozzy worked with in 2009.

For those not from Africa or not used to dentistry work, it will be a completely different experience.

"Myself and the others who are not dentists, usually we might just donate to charities," Terry said. "This trip is attractive to me because I'm personally involved and can contribute."

And for Jozzy, that is in part the point. He feels a deep passion for helping people with his skill set, wherever they are.

"We need to help," Jozzy said. "People want to help overseas, but they don't have the opportunity. Now we're here and we're going. They can send us. We can help for you."

The society is accepting donations for their trip and future endeavours. Donations can be made by visiting the society's website.

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