A good friend described a program to me which is sponsored by the YMCA. The program is Alliance Training Program which trains women who have been on welfare with skills to that they can reenter the workforce. The training programs are of several months duration. When a woman successfully completes the training, she is given a suit to interview in from “The Bottomless Closet”, a charity to which women donate business clothes.
When the participant gets a job, she is given several more outfits of clothes appropriate for her new job.

The problem that was brought to my attention was that many of these women have had minimal or no dental care in their lives. They are missing and/or have broken front teeth. Many have been victims of domestic abuse. They are self conscious about their appearance and are hesitant to smile or make eye contact. This makes it more difficult for them to interview and get a job.

I decided that I would be willing to donate services which include removable prosthetics (dentures and partials) to replace teeth for some of these women, and “Smiles for Success” was perfect for their needs. I examined 12 candidates which were sent to me by the
Y Alliance as women who needed dental care. All of them needed care, however 4 candidates were in great need, exhibiting teeth which were broken, decayed and diseased. Two of the women were so emotional that someone actually would consider treating them that they sobbed uncontrollably before I could even complete the examination. The youngest was only 21 years old.

Here are 2 of my success stories:

Debra

Debra Vigo is an outgoing 36 year old woman who was ashamed to smile as her teeth were in deplorable condition. The uppers were hopeless as were the lower posteriors. Debra enjoyed taking part in various church social activities but said she would never smile as she was ashamed of her teeth. We extracted the hopeless teeth and place an upper denture and lower partial denture. Debra did very well, only coming in for 2 adjustments. She sent me a note that she took part in a charity fashion show, and for the first time, she could smile at the audience while helping with the fund-raiser.

J. Crystal Baxter DMD, MDS