Virginia, Manos Patient

Virginia, a wheelchair bound senior who was diagnosed in 2013 with dementia and Parkinson’s disease, suffered a fall that damaged her teeth. As a result, Virginia stopped smiling because she was self-conscious of her smile and felt her teeth looked bad.

Like the nearly 70 percent of older Americans who do not have dental insurance, according to Oral Health America, Virginia lost her coverage upon retirement which made access to affordable tough for her. Luckily, Virginia’s daughter and caretaker, Sheryl, heard about the low-cost dental services at Manos de Cristo and made an appointment for her mother with the hope of seeing her smile again.

To better accommodate Virginia and, most importantly, to keep her comfortable during treatment, our dentist encouraged her to stay in her wheelchair. This gesture stood out as truly unique to Sheryl and Virginia. The care she received at Manos helped restore the confidence Virginia had lost. “She’s always had a beautiful smile and we are just happy to see that again.” Sheryl said. “She always told us, ‘It can’t be that bad, just put your smile into it and it makes everything better.’ Thank you so much for giving my mother her smile back.”