Analissa’s Story
As a Glendale High School student, Analissa was suffering from discomfort. First, she was experiencing tooth pain. On top of that, she was ashamed and embarrassed – as a teenager, it seemed she should know how to take care of her teeth and oral health. With a visit to the Tooth Truck, Analissa found the relief she needed. On the Tooth Truck, she met a team of friendly faces there to help. Over her five visits, Analissa’s treatment plan was truly a team effort. Dr. Sarah and the Tooth Truck staff treated her cavities and re-enforced proper brushing and flossing habits. Analissa also needed a root canal beyond the scope of what the Tooth Truck usually provides. Local Endodontist, Dr. Lisa Castleman generously stepped in to take care of that need. As a result of these team efforts, Analissa is happy to smile big and proudly display her healthy smile all around school.
The Tooth Truck completed this treatment plan at no cost to Analissa’s family, with a total value of $5,601.
Braeden’s Story
As a preschool student, Braeden participated in the Healthy Smiles Academy, the Tooth Truck’s On-Site Brushing Program. Fortunately, his teacher was committed to improving her students’ oral hygiene, taking the initiative to sign up for the Healthy Smiles Academy. Through this program, Braeden was able to practice good brushing habits at school every day. At home, he enjoyed sharing these skills with his two older brothers, Dominic and Drake. Later, during his first visit to the Tooth Truck, Braeden impressed the Tooth Truck staff with his dental knowledge, learned from the Healthy Smiles Academy. All three brothers enjoy their Tooth Truck visits, especially their goody bags. They love putting to use their toothbrushes and timers, every morning and night.
The Tooth Truck completed this treatment plan at no cost to Braeden, Drake and Dominic’s family, with a total value of $3,687.
Nicole’s Story
Nicole is a gorgeous young teenager that we met during one of our stays at the Missouri Hotel. At 14 years old, she presented as a shy young lady that tended to keep her hand up over her mouth when speaking. It didn’t take long to figure out why; of the 28 adult teeth in her mouth, 26 of them had cavities. Nicole’s treatment plan required 7 appointments and included large, multi-surface, composite fillings on all 26 teeth that had decay. Despite the long time in the dental chair, she never complained and always thanked the staff at the end of each visit. Additionally, Nicole came to each visit with a progressively cleaner mouth – showing us that she was indeed working on making sure she didn’t get any more cavities.
Nicole’s transformation from a mouth she was embarrassed of to one she was proud to show off really showed that the mission of the Tooth Truck to not only improve oral health, but also to improve self-esteem is alive and thriving. The value of Nicole’s treatment was a staggering $6,179.
Cesar’s Story
Cesar is a vivacious little boy that came to the Tooth Truck through the Douglas Headstart program. While English is not his first language, a smile is universal and Cesar was fluent in both smiles and giggles. At age 4, he came to us with 20 baby teeth – 16 of which had cavities. His treatment required 7 appointments and included 13 crowns (3 of which needed baby root canals) and 3 extractions due to unrestorable decay. Through all of his appointments, Cesar came to the Tooth Truck with a smile that seemed to get bigger with each tooth that was fixed.
While it is devastating to our staff to see a patient as young as Cesar with so much oral disease, the reward of giving him a cavity free smile was heartwarming to us all. The value of Cesar’s treatment was $3,635.
