HEALING SMILES AND
Changing lives Dr Chae Park
In their different ways, Drs Chae Park and Wendy Tran have been selflessly making a huge difference to people in need, both in Australia and across the world.
DR CHAE PARK Prosthodontist Dr Chae Park was first exposed to dentistry volunteerism when she was an undergrad at the University of Otago in New Zealand, taking part in an outreach program to assist Māori children. “My parents migrated in 1995, so I found it an amazing turnaround from being an immigrant to having the opportunity to give back to the society where we were very welcomed,” Chae recalls. This desire to help others was again sparked when Chae attended a Women in Dentistry event and heard the attendees talking about giving back to domestic violence survivors. “Domestic violence could happen to any of us, so I really liked the idea of helping these women,” Chae says. “I never had experience with domestic violence, but I do know of a few acquaintances who have, and it was very difficult for them to get out of that situation. The women who come through Healing Smiles must be ready to move on, so to ask for help is very courageous.” As a prosthodontist, Chae mainly provides restorative consultations to Healing Smiles patients. “The majority of my patients have had all of their teeth removed, so we provide some kind of prosthesis, whether it will be a full or partial denture,” she says. “Many of them come into the clinic very scared and some are sceptical of why we want to treat them for free. But they are all so grateful at the end of the day, and I always get a lot of tears and big smiles at the end of treatments.” There have been many satisfying moments as a volunteer, and Chae says every patient has her own story.
Dr Wendy Tran
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EDITION 4 | 2022 WESTERN ARTICULATOR
“I had a lady who went through extreme emotional domestic violence. She is very smart but never had the courage to pursue her dream of going to university,” Chae says. “She told me she didn’t deserve this and that – and it was almost like being a psychologist, encouraging her that she was worthy and that part of moving forward was to dream bigger than you think you can.
