GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For years, a Grand Rapids-area oral surgery office has been gifting a free life-changing surgery for those in need of a new smile.
It's called the Time to Smile program put on by Advanced Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Studio. The office grants a new recipient each year a $50,000 smile makeover for free using an application process.
On Wednesday, Advanced Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Studio surprised this year's recipient: Britny Peckham.
She's a mother, a coworker, a friend, and more to those in her life.
Britny has been applying for several years, and she didn't give up when someone else was picked.
Her persistence to apply each year paid off.
"Everything's gonna change. I mean, I'll feel comfortable going to school events with my children, I can eat the things I want to eat and take pictures again. Like I love taking pictures, but not being able to smile. How do you make other people smile? So getting back into taking pictures is amazing," Britny said.
She's eternally grateful. And she's excited to not have to deal with the severe dental pain she's been struggling with.
"Britny herself has been suffering with inability to eat. She's stuck with liquids and soft foods. Everything hurts her the minute it touches her teeth there, she's gonna have shocks going through them. So she's in a lot of pain, always. She's struggling with health issues, you know, because of that, it affects your health," Dr. Mark Jesin said.
Joe Fazzio, a prosthodontist at Norman Family Dentistry, says Britny was one of his first patients that he received from Dr. Jesin when he began his career in West Michigan, and says that seeing Britney be able to receive this treatment is an emotional experience for him.
"This is personal for me. I've seen her struggle the last two and a half years, and to see see it go to such a deserving patient has been awesome," said Dr. Fazzio, who added "she's in a situation where it's too painful to maintain what she has, and her being a young woman, she deserves to have the smile that she she wants."
"We try to select person who's really needing smile rebuild or reconstruction of their smile. They've missing teeth, broken teeth, and a lot of pain. And somebody who's has a story as well to tell, and just have tried to find a really deserving individual who can use a little help," said Dr. Jesin, who described the work that will be taking place for Britny.
"We're going to remove all of the bad teeth and clean and disinfect everything, and then we place anywhere from four to six implants across the upper jaw and the lower jaw. Then we'll also fabricate custom made screwed in teeth, so she'll walk out that same day with a brand new smile."
Dijana Znidarcic was last year's winner, who says the dental work she received changed her life.
"I am more healthier, and happier person," said Znidarcic. "I always tried for other people to not see what I have in my mouth, but now I am going outside and laugh a lot. It's changed for much better."
"And we coincided as well with Thanksgiving to give back to somebody in need. And just to say, thank you for all the blessings that we have, that we're able to provide this for others as well. I was just super excited for Britny. She's such a good person. We see how everybody loves her. The people who work with her. They're all rooting for her," said Dr. Jesin.
Applications have opened annually in September, and the winner is announced before the holiday season.
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