Dr. Bryce Heiner of Oral & Facial Surgery of New Mexico has announced the recipient of his second Smile Again program. Las Cruces local Monica, 45, was selected out of nearly 500 applicants to receive a life-changing smile makeover—a full-arch restoration treatment procedure that typically costs upwards of $50,000—completely free of charge. This is the doctor’s second year running the charitable Smile Again program that allows residents in the community a chance to submit applications to the oral surgeon that describe their poor oral health and the daily challenges they face due to their missing and deteriorating teeth.
All Monica wanted this holiday season was a new set of teeth and restored confidence. Monica is a mother of four whose critical dental issues began 5 years ago after suffering from lupus. Since overcoming her illness, Monica has suffered from low self-esteem due to her poor oral health and longs to be healthy and happy again. In early 2019, she was rushed to the hospital after accidentally swallowing her partial denture. Monica shared her humiliation from the experience and said she felt like “the laughing stock of the hospital.” After that experience, she was unable to wear partial dentures, and eating caused her constant pain. Monica used to help take care of children and the elderly until they started making fun of her teeth as well. She hopes this life-changing procedure will give her a fresh start this holiday season and help boost her confidence so that she can once again volunteer to help in our community.
Oral & Facial Surgery of New Mexico will collaborate with Brain Gilbert of Bright Star Dental, Zimmer Biomet, and Manini Dental Lab to complete the procedure and give Monica the smile she deserves.
“We are so pleased to give Monica this life-changing opportunity to improve her health and self-esteem,” said Dr. Bryce Heiner. “She has been through a great deal already since her lupus diagnosis. We love giving back to our community and using our profession to help those in our community who are helping others.”
Follow Monica’s life-changing journey on Smile Again on Facebook.
