Dr. Bruce Corbin of Corbin Dental – a practice that has served the Bayside area for over 90 years – recently returned from a medical mission to the Dominican Republic with a new outlook on life in the States.
“I realized how fortunate we are here,” said Corbin. “The facilities were so poor [in the Dominican], but the people get by and are still happy.”
Corbin, along with other recruits organized by Dr. Arun Garg – one of Corbin’s mentors – packed as many dental supplies as they could bring to the medical facilities in Santiago, the second largest city in the Dominican Republic. For the next three days, Corbin says he saw hundreds of patients who waited for hours for the free care.
“We brought drills, implants, sutures, anesthesia, masks . . . we stopped working when we ran out of materials,” said Corbin, who stated that dental health takes a backseat to other medical issues in the country.
While it was the first time Corbin has used his expertise to help a foreign people, he made it clear that it would not be the last.
“It was so nice to give. I will definitely be doing it again,” said Corbin, who mentioned a possible trip to Mexico in six months.
Richard and Bruce Corbin, who run Corbin Dental, are part of three generations of dentistry in Bayside dating back to their grandfather Dr. Samuel Corbin, who practiced during the depression era in the 1920s. Currently, they run two offices: one in Oyster Bay and the other located at 204-17 35th Avenue in Bayside. For further information about Corbin Dental, visit www.corbindental.com.
