After a long day at my dental clinic, I was in the kitchen when my 14-year-old son, Mark, rushed in—not alone, but with a little
girl. Her name was Mia. She was eight, pale, silent, and holding her jaw in pain. “She’s from my school,” Mark said. “She hasn’t
eaten. She hurts. I didn’t know what else to do.” As soon as I looked in Mia’s mouth, I knew the truth—abscesses, deep cavities,
pain no child should endure. I couldn’t turn her away. That night, I called off my appointments, gave her pain relief,
