James, 67, is an Air Force veteran who lives in Cody with his wife. After he was discharged, he worked at Edwards Air Force Base helping to develop jet engines for GE. He really loved the work, and still keeps up with the technological advances made in the aviation field and is now enjoying retirement with his wife.
Recently, James had more than a dozen stents placed in his heart and leg, and was in surgery for nearly nine hours. He experienced complications after the surgery and was hesitant to have additional stents placed in his other leg. In addition, he has had surgery on both rotator cuffs and has suffered major trauma in both hands. One hand was crushed by heavy machinery and the other became infected after an animal bite. Unfortunately, James’s dental health has been another challenge in his life. He was missing many teeth and several that remained had become infected.
Sadly, James was unable to afford treatment to address his dental needs. He and his wife survive on Social Security, a small pension from GE and just recently began
receiving a small disability benefit from the VA. Despite this income, they have outstanding medical debt and struggle to make ends meet. Although James receives his health care through the VA, his dental care was not covered. The dental treatment James needed seemed like a luxury beyond their reach.
How DDS Helped
Fortunately, James was referred to the Donated Dental Services (DDS) program and he was linked with two generous volunteers.
- Dr. David Taylor restored four teeth, extracted another 10, and donated a full upper denture, a partial lower denture, and six crowns.
- Trident Dental Laboratories fabricated the dentures and crowns.
“It has been a real pleasure to work with James to complete his dental work. Our staff was thrilled to have him come in and see the change in his life and his countenance. He is very happy and we are too! It was a great experience for all!”
—Dr. David Taylor, DDS Volunteer
Wyoming Donated Dental Services (DDS) is a program of Dental Lifeline Network, a national humanitarian organization and a strategic partner of the ADA, providing access to comprehensive dental care for people with disabilities or who are elderly or medically fragile and have no other way to get help. Nationally, 16,000 dentists and 3,500 laboratories volunteer for DDS.
Learn more about volunteering or to learn about DDS in your state, visit our state pages.
