Part 5

The Power of a Smile to Change Lives:  Denny’s Story Part 5

Denny was confused.  Something clearly unusual was going on.  He and his wife were at Dr. Yeoman's office for the Try-In appointment. This gave them a preview of what his new dentures were going to look like before they were finalized.  He was looking at a photo of a man that could have been his twin twenty years ago. Surely it wasn't him.  Something was completely wrong.  The man in the picture looked young and rugged.  He looked like a man enjoying life.  He looked happy.  This was not a man he had seen in the mirror for decades.

Paula was nearly hysterical.  Looking at Denny's before and after photos, she was somewhere between laughing and crying with joy.  Without warning she jumped into Denny's lap and started kissing him.  Though he was a little embarrassed by this sudden public display of affection, he was not fool enough to stop a good thing from happening.

When she had composed herself a little, Denny was given the opportunity to look in the mirror.  Even though he had seen himself in the photo with his new smile, he still struggled to realize the image in the glass was reality.  No picture could prepare him for what he saw.  The familiar cranky and unapproachable old man was gone. The deep lines that had become frowning crevices from the corners of his mouth to his chin had softened considerably.  The frailty was gone.  Instead he saw a strong jaw line, well-defined lips, and a look of vitality he had not seen in a long time.  The whole thing was really quite shocking.

While Paula continued to giggle like a school girl, Denny tried to let the whole thing soak in.  It was not easy.  It had taken decades of bad dentures to get him to look the way he had been earlier that day. Now, after only minutes, he looked the way he was supposed to.  Denny knew he looked better, much better, but he kept tripping up on the fact he looked different.  Search for him as he might, the grouchy ol' man was gone.  That was a hard fact to wrap his mind around.

Encouraged to give a genuine smile, Denny realized he hadn't smiled in a long time.  It was harder than he thought.  Still, Paula's response was contagious.  He began to feel a grin creeping on and a smile just barely peaking out.  Now, he was more fascinated than self conscious.  The transformation was unbelievable, and he wanted to get a better look.  

"Can I keep this photo to take with me?  This is going to take some getting used to," Denny asked.

"You bet!  Let me print you a copy," Dr. Yeoman said.

After all his fears, reservations and hesitations, Denny realized that this may well be the best thing he could have done for himself and for his wife.  He began to wish he hadn't waited so long to come see Dr. Dana and her team.  Just seeing the joy in his wife's face was well worth it.

"Good.  So when do I get to take them home?"

Denny’s Story Part 4 Part 6