Mesa dentist leaves Army vet all smiles

Nov. 24—As the nation's military veterans celebrated last weekend, one Ahwatukee veteran was smiling especially broadly.

David Green, a disabled veteran who fought in Iraq 2008-09 when he was in the Army, said he owes that smile to a nonprofit and Mesa dentist Dr. Christopher Michael Athari of Affordable Dentures & Implants.

"He has given me my smile back," said Green, who was the beneficiary of $30,000 worth of work on his mouth and some work on his wife's teeth as well.

Green's dental problems date back to what happened after his he completed his service in the Army.

"After my deployment, I struggled severe depression and PTSD to the point that I didn't keep with my dental hygiene," he explained. "I destroyed my teeth and have lost several teeth and ruined my smile."

Worse, Green is confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, left paraplegic as the result of a motor vehicle accident in 2019 that he attributes to his mental challenges.

Then, Green stumbled on Smiles for Veterans, a Green Valley nonprofit dedicated to providing affordable access to dental treatment.

Founded in 2016, the nonprofit notes that the Veterans Administration provides dental care to only 8% of veterans and other state agencies do not cover complex procedures or long-term care.

"SFV is passionate about facilitating critical dental care for veterans at little to no cost to them," it states as its mission.

Veterans submit a request form and upon identification, health and financial needs verification, Smiles for Veterans arranges a free consultation with a dental partner."

"They were able to provide financial assistance for some of the cost of the bill," Green explained. "The remaining cost I would need to cover.

"I reached out to Dr. Athari via his personal email to explain why I couldn't cover the remaining cost currently due to financial obligations and being on disability and VA disability is a set income"

"He already knew of my military service and of my deployment to Iraq from 2008-2009 from Smiles for Veterans. He personally called me to tell me that he would cover the remaining part of the bill and gave me his personal contact."

Since then, Athari has been rebuilding Green's mouth with implants and bridges while also being available for Green outside his clinic for calls or emails when Green has run into post-procedure difficulties or questions.

And in the process, Althari has made Green a new man.

"My biggest insecurity after coming to terms with my mental healthcare was my teeth," Green said. "I would go out of my way to hide when speaking with people or trying to avoid conversations."

Now, he continued, Althari and Smiles for Veteran have "given me my confidence back and allowed me to focus on several of my original goals — things that I wanted to do when I got out of the Army."

Green said he volunteers with Ahwatukee's only veterans organization, American Legion Post 64.

Green's wife and primary caregiver also needed some expensive dental work that Althari covered as well.

But Green said he feels more confident as he builds a better life.

"This has been such a blessing and godsend," he said.

"Now I have the confidence to work on those and start assisting other veterans that have been through similar situations and guide them to find the right assistance."

Information: smilesforveterans.org, affordabledentures.com (928-599-7907).