Fisher also assisting dental clinic he started six years ago
MILWAUKEE – Imagine living in a community with no access to basic health care and no means of transportation to get treatment. For the 60,000 people who call Comitancillo home – an agricultural community outside of Guatemala City – this is a reality. However, one local dentist, Shane Fisher, DDS, owner of The Kids Dentist LLC in Mequon, is doing his part to change that. With the help of 21 volunteers from the U.S. and Canada, Fisher spent 12 days in Comitancillo, from February 4-15, and saw over 400 patients.
Fisher has been traveling to Comitancillo since 2004 to provide full service dental care for the community. Since 2008 Fisher has been organizing and leading these dental “mission” trips as U.S. director of Dentistry For All (DFA), an international non-profit volunteer-run organization dedicated to improving access to oral health care.
“DFA does incredible work, and I’m honored to be a part of this organization.” said Fisher. “Dental care is a crucial part of maintaining your health, and everyone should have access to basic treatment.”
According to the World Health Organization, oral disease is more prevalent among poor, disadvantaged populations where public oral health programs are rare. Fisher and DFA are working to resolve this issue by leading annual dental missions to Guatemala and Nicaragua. The DFA volunteers include dental specialists from all fields, including pediatric dentists such as Fisher, and dental students. The volunteers will treat anyone who needs care and provide complete comprehensive dental exams and treatment, including cleanings, fillings, crowns, root canals and extractions.
In addition to leading annual dental missions, Fisher is helping establish two permanent dental clinics in Guatemala. In 2009, he moved to Guatemala for a year to help begin the process of opening the first clinic in Comitancillo. The clinic opened in 2010 and functions year round with education and prevention programs. Dr. Fisher leads two mission trips a year to this location, and his team of volunteers help staff the clinic. The clinic is supported by other professional volunteer groups throughout the year as well.
The community of Comitancillo has more to thank Dr. Fisher for than just oral health. This year The Kids Dentist partnered with two local schools, Milwaukee Jewish Day School and St. Adalbert Elementary School, for a shoe drive and donated about 500 pairs of new or lightly used children’s shoes to the Comitancillo community.
Fisher is grateful for the unwavering support he has received from the Milwaukee community and recognizes the importance of giving back to his home community. In addition to his work with DFA, Fisher volunteers with projects in the Milwaukee area such as screening programs and Wisconsin’s Mission of Mercy each June.
For more information about Dr. Fisher’s work with DFA and the Comitancillo community go to http://www.dentistryforall.org/. For more information about The Kids Dentist go to http://thekidsdentistmequon.com/.
A gallery of images from the volunteer trip is available here: http://bit.ly/1KHUNFR
About Dr. Shane Fisher:
Shane Fisher, DDS is a board-certified pediatric dentist with 15 years of experience. In addition to his private practice, he is on the medical dental staff of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. He is also a part time faculty member at Marquette University School of Dentistry in the field of pediatric dentistry. Dr. Fisher has been a longtime advocate for children in underserved areas around the world (including metro Milwaukee) and is the U.S. director of an international non-profit organization providing dental care to children in developing countries.
