The Difference a Smile Can Make – Ammar Transforma
- HAPPY CHILD INTERNATIONAL
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
One day I was listening to a Podcast, and it said something like: “Recharging our self esteem and confidence helps us set new challenges and see that what may seem impossible isn’t. Hope for a better world can energise us”.
In Brazil almost twenty million people have never had a dental appointment, and half of the population do not annually visit the Dentist. In 2024, more than 30% of the Brazilian population did not go for a dental appointment*. With conviction Docter Simone Pontes dreamt about changing this reality and especially for the vulnerable in society. She says:
“For many years I wanted to help others through my work. I wanted to give people back their smile and realised that dentistry could help people re discover their confidence and sense of wellbeing. Some help and intervention could really change a person’s experience”.
Through her work with Ammar Transforma she began to voluntarily provide dentistry to children, young people and the elderly. A beneficiary of the Ammar Transforma project called Dona Greciane recalls “ I never thought I would smile again but now I can”.
In her case she will no longer be one of the statistics taken by the National Research Body on Mouth Hygiene. It states that a large number of the elderly in Brazil will have lost 79% of their teeth through lack of proper fillings. Almost sixteen million people in Brazil have already lost all their teeth**.
Another Ammar Transforma project beneficiary Edilma Nicacio shares “ I do not have words to describe my joy. I never thought I would be able to smile again. I lost my teeth when my ex-husband assaulted me”.
Data on how many individuals lose teeth through domestic violence is not readily available. In Brazil it is very likely that a proportion of women who receive emergency dental treatment in hospitals and clinics will have been victims of domestic violence or assault caused by inter personal tensions.
On hearing these two women’s short testimonies I realised that the recuperation of a smile is more than about aesthetics but so much about regaining self-esteem and confidence. Broken teeth, no teeth or lost teeth cause so much shame and embarrassment and can lead to social isolation.
Repairing and restoring teeth can help re build a person and empower them. The services that Edilma Nicacio is delivering for Ammar Transforma can inspire us all to make a difference in some small way.
Written by Eduarda Teixeira
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