LEBANON — Although they already feel like they’ve “won the lottery,” Rodney Betz said he encourages his wife, Cindy, to look at the big picture.
The Pine Grove couple was seated in the waiting room of Balaci Oral and Facial Surgery in Lebanon on Wednesday, awaiting the gift Dr. Alexandre Balaci granted Cindy in her quest for a new smile.
Rodney checked his phone shortly after 12:30 p.m., and saw it was a call from Cindy’s son, Christopher Brown, already asking, “How’s mom?”
Cindy offered a slight, toothless grin, admitting she was a little nervous but was ready to go.
Balaci, a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, greeted Cindy, who is the first recipient of the Second Chance Program. She was undergoing surgery Wednesday at Balaci’s 860 Tuck St. office for implant placement, where screws were to be surgically inserted into her jawbone.
Balaci said a CAT scan was taken of Cindy’s mouth, which helped him plan the surgery and make a drill guide where the screws, and eventually her new teeth will be placed.
Once her gums are healed in two to three months, her permanent, implanted teeth can be placed, he said. The new teeth can be made of a variety of materials, from processed acrylic to porcelain.
“It depends what she picks,” he said.
Cindy is receiving the dental surgery, which is estimated to cost $40,000 to $50,000, for free from Balaci’s Second Chance Program, which is a way for Balaci to give back to his patients.
Cindy, now 59, was 23 when a truck’s head-on collision with her motorcycle left her in a coma and broke off most of her teeth. The crowns placed on some of her teeth started breaking off and her mouth became infected and sore. She avoided social situations because she was embarrassed by her smile, her husband said. He took a day off work as a welder for Jay’s Railing, Bethel, to be with her.
“I’ve been inside all winter. I can’t wait to get back outside. I plant flowers everywhere,” she said.
Her process of recovering her smile began Sept. 11, 2015, when she found out she was chosen from nearly 40 applicants for the free dental implants.
“I’m looking forward to just being able to eat,” Cindy said. “For Mother’s Day, I got invited for dinner, and I just smashed what I could on my plate.”
Her daughter, Terri, and son-in-law, Jamie Robertson, Cressona, prepared the dinner. Terri manages the Manheim Diner, her mother said. Cindy has six children and 10 grandchildren.
Until she receives her new teeth, she’s been eating soft foods like applesauce, mashed potatoes, and her favorite, ice cream.
On Nov. 2, Cindy underwent the first part of her dental procedure. She said Balaci pulled all of her remaining teeth and completed a bone graft, using bone from the back of her mouth for her jawbone area, then ground down her jawbone, making it more even. She said a cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Shawn R. Habakus, took impressions of her gums so that her new teeth could be created.
Rodney recognized his wife’s been on a long journey to achieve the smile she’s always wanted, and now, thanks to Balaci, that smile’s within sight.
For more information, visit the website for Balaci Oral and Facial Surgery at https://jawcare.com.