Helping people cherish their smiles drives one K-State pre-dentistry student to serve the greater community
Braving pre-dawn frigid temperatures, Elyssa Ellis arrived at the National Guard Armory in Manhattan, Kansas, at 4:45 a.m. But she wasn’t the first to arrive.
Dozens of people had camped in their cars all night and began lining up outside at 4 a.m. in order to receive dental care at the annual Kansas Mission of Mercy.
This is the third time Ellis, a senior majoring in human health biology and integrated health sciences, and minoring in business management and leadership, has volunteered with Kansas Mission of Mercy as a member of K-State’s pre-dentistry club. This year she signed up for the full time — 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. for two days.
“It’s long days, but definitely rewarding,” Ellis said. “You meet a lot of people from different cultures and backgrounds, and you know you’re helping a lot of people who need these services.”
Ellis is just one of about 50 K-State pre-dentistry club members who volunteered with this year’s Kansas Mission of Mercy. Volunteering boosts the students’ skills and gives them a taste of what a general dentistry practice might be like.
“You learn a whole bunch of new skills and how to be quick and adaptable,” Ellis said. “General dentistry is probably the most versatile type of dentistry. You see different types of people, from pediatrics to geriatrics. So being able to interact with all these different populations is super helpful for me in the future because I truly want to serve as many types of populations as I can.”
Ellis shared a particularly rewarding and educational experience at this year’s event.
“There was a group of Muslim patients who came, and it was a whole new challenge because only one of them spoke English, so we had to navigate moving them as a group with their translator and make sure we were trying to accommodate their religious beliefs,” she said. “So it’s not only learning and seeing other dentists work, it’s also taking leadership and other cultural experiences into account.”
Shadowing dentists, helping with paperwork and taking patients’ vitals added to Ellis’s technical skills, but her biggest takeaway was less tangible and more heartfelt.
“Dental care is important for your physical health, but it’s also important for your mental health,” she said. “Everyone deserves to feel comfortable with their smile — it’s the first thing people notice about you.”
KMOM by the numbers
- 33,500+ patients served since 2003
- $23M+ donated care
- Most common services include extractions, fillings and dental hygiene