Woodhams, who has volunteered her time in Wairoa on several occasions, said she and five other dental professionals were completing extractions, fillings and scale and cleans until January 30. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been more than 200 phone calls, there have been people that have just been rocking up … we are just triaging them quickly to try and see patients in between bookings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a little bit overwhelming, but I\u2019m glad that we are here for the two weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI originally thought just three or four days would be enough, and now I think even if I am here for the rest of the year, we might not catch up.\u201d <\/p>\n
Woodhams said the lack of a permanent dental clinic, combined with travel barriers and cost, made it harder for people in the community to access care. <\/p>\n
Wairoa has been without an adult dental service since 2020, when a private provider closed, according to the Wairoa District Council. <\/p>\n
The T\u014d Waha dental care initiative is offering free care to those aged 18 and older in Wairoa. Photo \/ Renee Thompson<\/p>\n
Woodhams said it was vital the town got a more permanent solution and encouraged any dentists looking for something new to take up the opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney is just not part of the equation today. We can just go ahead and get you out of pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said they had one woman come in for treatment, but she had missed the fact that the services were free.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was sitting in the chair and getting very anxious. She was like, \u2018I hope I have enough money to cover this today\u2019 and we were like, \u2018you\u2019re not getting charged for anything\u2019, she couldn\u2019t believe it. She was just about in tears.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patients\u2019 oral health needs had become greater because of processed food and diet, Woodhams said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are keeping our teeth for longer.\u201d<\/p>\n
The most common issues she had seen by day two were abscesses and infections.<\/p>\n
Isha Woodhams said travel was a big factor in people not prioritising their oral health care. Photo \/ Renee Thompson<\/p>\n
Wairoa resident Jason Tamanui said the dentists carrying out the work were greatly appreciated by the community. <\/p>\n
The 54-year-old said he had walked in off the street in week one to get a clean and ended up having a tooth extraction.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a godsend to be honest, the number of people that went through on Tuesday alone, I was only waiting for three hours, and I think I might have counted about 15 people, maybe more.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were fast, they were funny and they made my day good.\u201d <\/p>\n
He believed the town was struggling to get a permanent dentist because \u201cit\u2019s out of the way\u201d. <\/p>\n