CATEGORY AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST 113 We only made whole gold teeth a long, long time ago, says Jean-Paul Gooswit, a dentist in Paramaribo, for example. Gooswit and his colleagues often see people with gold teeth that they had inserted several years ago, after they have had problems with food debris and bacteria starting to cause infections and periodontitis in their mouths. Then they need treatment, but because the teeth have been filed down from the sides to be able to put on the gold crown, the tooth becomes very ugly, just a small shard. That’s why many who work with gold inlays have a bad reputation among us other dentists, he says. There is no formal dental education in Suriname yet, but most of those currently practicing as licensed odontologists in the country have previously studied in the Netherlands (Dutch is still the official language in Suriname). Others do their training in the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Brazil or Cuba. The high cost of training leads to bottlenecks in the labor market – Suriname is estimated to have only around 50 dentists for a population of just over 600,000 people. People therefore turn to unofficial craftsmen who can do some oral prosthetics, but who do not have any deeper clinical knowledge. And Creoles like to have gold teeth inserted. But it’s not always done so nicely, says Jean-Paul Gooswit. Back to Guyana – on the outskirts of the capital Georgetown there are still many dental workshops that specialize in gold work. One example is “Sunflower”, named after the owner Parmanand Ramdial’s nickname. But even though I’m the owner, I’m not the “boss” – no one here bosses each other! says Sunflower over the workshop table where he sits with a magnifying glass and grinds dental ornaments in precious metals. Today Ron Innis came in because a chip in his gold tooth broke off. He is also very happy with his gold teeth, as it has been a full 20 years since he had them put in. It is only now that he has needed to repair one of them. Parsram Persaud, who also works at Sunflower’s workshop, has received Innis and will help him with the task. I will do it for 1,500 Guyanese dollars [about 11 Australian dollars]. Then he himself brings a pennyweight of gold [1.56 grams], says Parsram Persaud. Ron Innis, like many in this part of the world, works in the mining industry, so it was natural for him to arrange the gold himself. Parsram Persaud is an example of the dental technicians who previously did actual dental work despite lacking formal credentials. Today, however, he is clear that he only works with the prosthetics themselves, such as gold crowns and removable dentures. I’ve stopped working with that other stuff now. Because you used to remove the enamel, which exposed the tooth so that it became discolored, and when you ate something sour or cold, it would get worse, Parsram Persaud quickly adds. He also points out that they don’t want you to have gold teeth inserted if you have healthy teeth, but only if you have a hole that you want to fix or a previous repair that needs to be fixed. Persaud started as an apprentice at a simple dental practice in 1982 and then moved on to more cosmetic work in 1986. His career is therefore more reminiscent of old classic workshop work than modern dentistry. Don’t you need formal identification to work in dentistry in Guyana? No, if you know the practical side and can read and write the theory, that’s enough. The requirements are still quite high – you have to pass a test before you can work, says Parsram Persaud. u JOAKIM RÅDSTRÖM, Freelance journalist Website: www.joakimradstrom.com Email: freelance@joakimradstrom.com Phone: +46-(0)73-656 76 17 DENTISTRY AROUND THE WORLD Gold raw material at Sunflower dentists Sunflower dentists. Parsram Persaud
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTc3NDk3Mw==