Veteran gets a welcomed gift of a new smile

Nov. 13—U.S. Navy Veteran Paul Anaya lost most of his teeth in a grenade explosion while serving in Iraq.

"I have lived for a long time looking like a jack-o-lantern," said Anaya, who served three tours overseas in the Gulf. "You know when someone is looking at you and they try to not stare at your mouth. Well, I got that every day. It gets to you and impacts your confidence."

But thanks to Advanced Dental Implant Center in Gilbert, the 52-year-old Mesa resident received the gift of a new smile, valued at $48,000.

Dr. Frank Nelson and his team gave Anaya a full-mouth dental implant that secured a permanent bridge or new teeth on the upper and lower arches of his mouth.

The dental procedure, commonly known as fixed-arch dental implants, is an advanced procedure that Nelson completes daily for patients.

"It's as close to real teeth as you can get," Nelson explained. "But even beyond what the transformation will do for Paul's physical appearance, we see every day the impact it has on our patients' overall well-being.

"This is a new start for Paul and we feel privileged to be able to help Paul and to honor him this Veterans Day for his sacrifice and service to our country."

Nelson said he wanted to help Anaya after he came to the practice in need of dental care and could not afford it.

"We learned how he has devoted a lot of time trying to help others, working with other veterans," Nelson said."He was not able to eat very well, which affected his diet choices and this affected his health.

"Due to his accident, dentures would not have worked well because of his bone loss. We knew we would be able to help him and decided to help him as a way to honor him for his service. Our hope is that with a healthy smile, his health will improve, he will become more hireable, and this will lead to a more stable life."

Anaya noted that the last time he bit into an apple, his remaining tooth fell out.

"I would like to be able to eat steak again and actually chew it will be great," he said.

According to the American College of Prosthodontists, 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth and more than 35 million Americans are missing all their teeth on one or both arches.

For most military veterans, like Anaya, dental care is not included in their military benefits.

"I am most looking forward to having people look at me like I am not a monster," Anaya said. "I want to be able to smile and not worry about my mouth."

"For someone to alter your life like this and help you like this, it just doesn't seem to happen anymore," he said. "When I served in the Navy, I spent more time away from my family and for someone to recognize that and want to help me now, I am just so grateful."

Advanced Dental Implant Center clinics specialize in providing lifelong alternative to dentures through fixed-arch dental implants.

Its doctors are among the few in the country who routinely place zygomatic- and pterygoid-style dental implants, allowing patients with severe bone loss to receive permanent implants.

Information: advancedimplants.com.