DLN Success Stories — Louisiana Man Regains His Voice

Steve, 64, lives in Louisiana. Almost 30 years ago, Steve suffered a severe back injury and has not been able to hold a steady job since. He now stays busy and does handy man jobs to make some extra money on the side. Although he sleeps with a CPAP machine, he is otherwise in good health.

Steve’s oral health needed improvement, however, as he had no teeth remaining on top and only three teeth remaining on the bottom of his mouth. There were also concerns about his dental bridges, which had begun to fail. With only a modest Social Security Disability benefit and very little other financial aid, Steve did not have the money necessary to improve his oral health or get the dentures he needed.

Fortunately for Steve, he was referred to the Donated Dental Serves (DDS) program and Dr. Frank Martello, DLN • Louisiana Board President, volunteered to help.

Dr. Martello extracted the teeth that were giving Steve trouble and recommended full upper and lower dentures so that Steve would be able to eat comfortably and smile confidently. Rogers Dental Lab graciously volunteered to fabricate these dentures, and now his quality of life has significantly improved. Steve is happy to report he is again able to assist in minister duties and volunteer at church now that he feels comfortable speaking in front of others again.

“They went above and beyond what I hoped for. It was a pleasure. There was no pain involved.” — Steve

“Louisiana has a large population underserved by dentistry and medicine. My office staff loves the patients who are referred by DLN. These patient have, without exception, been extremely courteous, grateful, and ALWAYS ON TIME!” — Dr. Martello

 In the fiscal year 2015-2016, 169 patients like Steve received donated care. To see more information about DLN • Louisiana’s activity last fiscal year, visit the state annual report!

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