Jack Bell, senior, accompanied by his dad, has been taking annual week-long trips to Mexico to help impoverished communities in need with dental care since he was 14 years old. During these trips, Bell meets new people, provides them with free food and dental care and he gets to brighten the lives of others from around the world who aren’t as fortunate.
Dr. Gregory Bell, Jack’s father, founded Bell Orthodontic Solutions July 1, 2011, four years after Jack was born. For most of Bell’s life, his dad has been working in the field of dentistry, with Bell
eventually joining him the summer before his freshman year of high school in 2022.
Throughout Bell’s years at high school, his summers would be spent at his father’s dentist office as an assistant, gaining very valuable knowledge and experience at a young age.
During the October of Bell’s first year working, Bell’s father invited him to go on an annual trip to Mexico, not to take a vacation but to help those in need. For the past 12 years, Bell’s father and his dentistry team have taken a trip to Mexico every October to provide free dental care to communities that can’t afford it. Bell agreed to come along, and that October he spent a week in the Baja Peninsula in Mexico with his father to help communities without dental care.
Details of the treatments that Bell Orthodontic Solutions provide mainly involve tooth extractions and deep cleaning of the mouth. Braces are not done due to the lengthy procedure required to apply them, and because Bell can only travel there once a year and would be unable to provide proper maintenance. Since the communities have such little access to dental care, Bell’s patients usually suffer from dental pain and require either teeth removal or a deep cleaning.
“My favorite part of this experience is seeing how happy people get from being provided treatment. I enjoy meeting new people and seeing familiar faces” Bell said.
Bell shared his most memorable moment from his trips.
“We had a barbeque and grilled food for orphanage kids, and they got super excited to meet us and eat good food.”
Aside from providing dental care and hosting cookouts, the Bell family plays games, and meets new people every trip, essentially becoming part of the community.
As of October 2024, Bell is not sure if he will continue following in his father’s footsteps in the dentistry field. Although he has valued the experience of shadowing his father, there are
other careers that he has interest in such as medicine and engineering. Whether Bell decides to continue as an orthodontist or switch career paths, he will still always have the opportunity to attend his father’s annual trip to Mexico to help communities who do not have access to dental care, which Bell plans on continuing in the future.
Bell Orthodontic Solutions does not make any profit or financial gain from this annual trip, just making the world a better place one tooth at a time.
Sonya Dries • Oct 25, 2024 at 5:22 pm
Great article! It has been my privilege to have Dr Bell on these mission trips for the past 12 years and I have enjoyed Jack as well the last few years. A great family.