MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — A perfect smile is not simply straight white teeth. A truly perfect smile features a healthy mouth.
An East Tennessee dentist promotes healthy teeth and gums for those who cannot afford dental care. Dr. Walt Stinson calls it a Smile Makeover.
"I had not had dental care for years," Smile Makeover patient Cathy Thomas said.
And it showed.
"I knew I had a lot of plaque buildup and I knew from family history that my dad had a lot of problems with gum disease," she said. "Then when I broke off that piece of my tooth and everything I just knew with finances being tight I couldn't do the dental care and I didn't have dental insurance. I knew something had to be done."
Thomas was selected for the Morristown Family Dentistry Smile Makeover last fall. Her treatments finished this month.
Stinson explained how it works.
"We offer people up to $8,000 in free treatment on this one case. And we take nominations and it's something we can involve the community with," Stinson said.
He started the Smile Makeover because he knows changing a smile can change a life.
He's had five cases so far, one each year, since he started his practice in Morristown.
"Some really cool stories of how people had gotten into bad spots with their teeth and what we can do to fix them," he said.
One was a veteran with PTSD who had neglected his teeth.
"We were able to help him. He had teeth that were totally broke off at the gum line, did not smile, his wife nominated him. We got a letter from him afterward that said basically my husband will smile again. His kids get to see him smile again. Just some really cool stories from that," he said.
A 'before' picture from last year's Smile Makeover showed a lot of decay.
"She had her daughter tell her, 'Mommy, we thought you didn't want to do pictures with us,'" he said.
An 'after' picture showed pink gums and clean teeth.
"She got her teeth fixed, she started smiling again, she started doing selfies again, and her girls realized mommy just wants to smile now," he said.
The latest Smile Makeover patient, Cathy Thomas, came to him with broken, infected teeth and gum disease.
"We can't grow those things back but we can help stop the progression of gum disease and keep things at a maintainable state so that was really important to get her mouth healthier for that," Stinson said.
The improvement in her teeth and gums was evident when she smiled during her last checkup.
The free treatment is not for people who only want to see a cosmetic improvement. A successful Smile Makeover produces healthy teeth and gums.
"I sing his praises for what he's done for me," Thomas said.
Stinson gave her back a healthy smile.
Stinson will take applications for the next Smile Makeover this fall.