Filling a need Dentist racks up the miles to help protect northern smiles
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/11/2022 (766 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Wally Mah’s commute on Monday mornings begins at 7 a.m.
He takes a taxi from his downtown condo to the Winnipeg airport, where he boards a small plane bound for the northern First Nation community of Pukatawagan.
It’s a near weekly journey Mah, 46, has been doing for 14 years.
Pukatawagan, about 820 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, is home to approximately 2,000 residents. Mah is their only dentist.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Pukatawagan, part of the Mathias Colomb First Nation, is accessible by plane and train, and also by winter road, for part of the year.
He works three weeks out of every month up north, a schedule that keeps him busy when he’s in town.
During the week, he stays at the nursing station in his modest-sized room with a mini fridge and a bed.
The dentist office is just down the hall.
On Friday afternoons, after his last patient has left and he has finished sanitizing his dental instruments, Mah hops onto a seven-seat plane that takes him to The Pas, about 200 kilometres to the south, before catching a connecting flight to Winnipeg. He gets back to his home in the Exchange District around 11 p.m.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS On Monday mornings at 8 a.m., dentist Wally Mah (right) and Dr. Jesse Howett fly into Pukatawagan, 819 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.
Born to Chinese-Canadian parents from Hong Kong, Mah is originally from 100 Mile House, a small town in British Columbia, about two hours north of Kamloops.
After graduating from the University of British Columbia and completing dental school, he became interested in First Nations issues after watching stories about Nunavut. That interest led him to take a contract as a dentist, which resulted in travelling to communities in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba — two provinces he had never been to previously.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Once the flight from Winnipeg lands in Pukatawagan airport, Mah and Howett ride into town with Rudy, their driver. When asked what happened to his windshield, Rudy responds with a laugh, “I think it broke.” Car repairs are difficult to access in the community as the reserve is so remote.
Mah wanted to get a better understanding of life on First Nations and a better understanding of Canada. He had travelled internationally, but not as much in his own country. Mostly though, he wanted to help people.
He has since worked as a dentist in Fond du Lac, Sask., and Little Grand Rapids, Garden Hill and Cross Lake in Manitoba, to name a few of the northern communities where he has practised.
There are many dentists in Winnipeg, he says, but up north in Pukatawagan, he is the only one and the community depends on him to take care of their teeth.
Free Press photojournalist Jessica Lee spent a week in Pukatawagan documenting Mah at work and in his adopted community.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
The nursing station in Pukatawagan, which houses the dental clinic and is also where Mah stays when he is in the community.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Mah gears up for work by window light. Summer fires downed Pukatawagan’s Hydro lines and generator issues mean electricity supply in the clinic is sporadic.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Rayden Morin, 3, sits in the dental chair for his first-ever dental checkup in early October.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Mah chats with colleague Lyla Maruk before Thanksgiving dinner, prepared by members of the nursing station.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
The area near Pukatawagan is seen from an airplane in October. The reserve accessible by plane and train. In the winters, a winter road is created and it is possible to drive into the community.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
On Friday. after packing up his dental equipment and sanitizing the room, Mah rides to the Pukatawagan airport in the afternoon to catch the 5 pm flight to The Pas. There are no taxis in the community, so he finds his transportation by word of mouth.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
While dental appointments are normally booked, many patients try their luck for walk-in checkups.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Mah checks X-rays by window light. While the power is down, he still prepares for a scenario where he can use a full array of dental tools.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Mah’s first patient of the day in Pukatawagan, Ruby Wolfe, opens her mouth for a dental check. She had been feeling pain in a tooth for some time.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
After taking X-rays of Wolfe’s mouth, Mah works to find the reason behind her tooth pain.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
After consulting with Ruby, Mah decides to do a root canal to the problem tooth to help her with her toothache. He injects some anesthetic so she doesn’t feel anything when he operates. In the middle of the root canal, Mah discovers that the tooth cannot be saved. “I’m sorry Ruby,” he says. To stop the pain, her tooth must be pulled out.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Ruby’s tooth is not the only tooth to be pulled out. Wally does three more extractions that day. Ruby’s tooth is photographed after it is removed.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Mah pulls out Monica’s tooth after she complains of a pain.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
After a long, intense week at work, Mah takes a long walk around the airport before his flight to Winnipeg to decompress and to reflect on the past week.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
After work, Mah likes to go for a run around Pukatawagan. Today, he is walking. He waves to community members during his stroll.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
When the weather allows it, Mah and Dr. Jesse Howett go on short kayak trips on the lake after work.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
While the nursing station has emergency generators due to electrical supply problems in the community, Mah’s lodgings do not.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Mah brings all of his food from Winnipeg for the week and cooks it in the staff kitchen. Grocery prices are very high up north and there are no restaurants in the community.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
After the community loses power, Mah spends the rest of the evening eating in the dark and replying to emails. He had prepared his dinner before going out, so his dinner was warm and ready.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Every Friday afternoon, Mah, here with Farron Dumas (right), hops on the 5 p.m. flight from Pukatawagan to The Pas, where he catches another flight to Winnipeg, as there are no direct flights available. The seven-passenger plane from Pukatawagan to The Pas books up quickly.
Jessica Lee
Photojournalist
After freelancing from abroad and in Toronto for most of her career, Jessica Lee moved to Winnipeg from Toronto in 2021 to join the Free Press.
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History
Updated on Sunday, November 20, 2022 10:55 AM CST: Updates cutlines, removes one picture
