DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - A dentist has stepped up and offered free surgery to a car accident victim who had special dentures stolen from outside her door.
“I totally think this is one of the biggest parts of my self-confidence,” said Kiki Salas, referring to her smile.
However, Salas had trouble finding the will to smile after she survived a car accident. In December, Salas was in a crash that nearly killed her.
“I had my teeth wired shut, I had a broken femur,” she said.
Broken bones, missing teeth, and a painful emotional recovery was sure to plague Salas for months.
“I’m just now trying to get back to being normal again,” Salas said.
A smile is something Salas couldn’t live without. She took to the internet where she found a temporary solution of special dentures before she could raise the thousands of dollars needed for dental surgery. But when her new teeth arrived, someone stole them before she could even open the box.
“I was totally devastated,” Salas said. “I was like now, ‘Oh, my God. What am I going to do?'”
Dr. David Bennett heard Salas’ story, and that’s when he decided to reach out and offered to work on Salas for free.
“We do pick two cases a year in which we do pro bono help,” Salas said.
Walking into Bennett’s office Wednesday morning, Salas wasn’t sure what to expect. “I didn’t know how they were going to look,” she said. “I didn’t know how I was going to feel about them.”
However, 30 minutes later, Salas took her first look and broke out into a smile. “Yeah, it looks good. I love it. I feel more normal now,” Salas said.
Salas is excited to go into the world with her brand new teeth. “I can’t wait to just be out with my friends again, having lunch, doing the normal stuff I used to do.” Salas said.
This is just the first step of many. The entire process can take up to 18 months, but Salas said at least she will have her smile through the process.
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