Learning to Smile Again

“Over the years, everything just deteriorated, and I ended up with hardly any teeth left. I felt really self-conscious about it. People judge you for not having teeth, and it affected how I saw myself.”

I've been in Wellington for nearly thirty years, and I've been involved with DCM on and off since the early days, back when Pam Whittington was around. I didn’t always make the best decisions when I was younger. I grew up mostly in government care and went through a lot of abuse. It was hard, but I’ve worked through it. I’ve been clean for 18 years now.

I used to be really negative, and I had a lot of issues to deal with, after everything that happened to me. But I’ve done a lot of work on myself, and I’m in a good place now. I still have big health issues, like epilepsy and depression, so I can’t work. But I try to help people online who’ve been through similar things. I feel like I’ve been through so much, I can use that to help others.

One thing I couldn’t put off any longer was my teeth. Being on the benefit, I couldn’t ever get proper dental care. I could only afford to get teeth extracted when there were issues - no fillings or anything like that. Over the years, everything just deteriorated, and I ended up with hardly any teeth left. I felt really self-conscious about it. People judge you for not having teeth, and it affected how I saw myself, especially when I was talking to people online.

I talked to my key worker at DCM, and within a week, I had my first appointment with the dentist. He was really cool, and we got on well. He cleaned my teeth and took molds, and a week later, I got a phone call saying my new teeth were ready. I couldn’t believe it - it was that fast. I hadn’t had a full set of teeth in nearly 20 years, and suddenly, here they were.

I can’t tell you how much better I feel with my new teeth - now I can smile again. It all came together so quickly, and I just feel good, ay. DCM really is changing people’s lives, bit by bit.

"I feel lucky to live in a country where something like this is possible, and I just really appreciate what everyone at the DCM Dental Clinic has done for me."