From the tundra to the desert
Posted: March 15, 2016
As a young Navajo child, DezBaa Damon-Mallette, DMD, ’07, realized she was very interested in dentistry. She was curious about dental instruments and how they were used to help patients.
“My dentist, Dr. Dunston, was very supportive and always asked me if I had questions about what I observed in his office,” says Dr. Damon-Mallette, who later discovered she liked working with her hands and with people.
As she grew up, Dr. Dunston became her mentor. When she was 13, she asked him what classes she needed to attend dental school. He provided her with a printout of all the classes he took during college and encouraged her to take some of the classes in high school. Before she knew it, she was on track to becoming a dentist.
When she began her studies, she realized the influence she could have on her community as a Navajo woman. She saw the experiences of her relatives when they went to the dentist, which always seemed to lack a level of comfort. She felt she could better relate to Navajo patients and provide a more gentle approach to their care.
“There is an unspoken understanding between you and your patient that cannot always be achieved with someone of a different background,” says Dr. Damon-Mallette. “I may be able to better explain a procedure to a Native person and convince them to obtain dental preventive measures.”
Dr. Damon-Mallette served patients from Alaska to New Mexico.
One of Dr. Damon-Mallette’s primary goals after graduating from ASDOH was to serve the American Indian and Alaska Native communities. She spent four years as a staff dentist in remote areas of Alaska. During a trip to the remote village of Kwigillingok, she met a mother and her five children. The family had not seen a dentist because of fear and embarrassment. She began treating the children and eventually was able to treat the mother, whose teeth were mostly decayed. Dr. Damon-Mallette and the mother came to a decision that dentures would be her best option.
“The day I delivered the woman’s dentures, she was so happy that she couldn’t stop smiling,” says Dr. Damon-Mallette.
After working in Alaska, she moved back to her home on the Navajo reservation in Ganado, Ariz. She wanted to make her community proud and provide the best dental services possible. She discovered her patients were no longer anxious to visit a dentist. They asked her questions about their care and weren’t afraid to tell her their concerns regarding their health.
“There are not many American Indian or Alaska Native dentists, and it is so important for us to be of service to our communities, if possible,” says Dr. Damon-Mallette, whose mother is from Mexican Water, Ariz., and father is from Mexican Springs, N.M.
With special memories of patients from the tundra to the desert, she continues her service to the underserved. Dr. Damon-Mallette currently serves as dental services director at Community Dental Services Inc., a non-profit organization in Albuquerque, N.M. She oversees three clinics and now has the ability to be a mentor for others pursuing the path of dentistry.