Cara Pallone from the Statesman Journal in Salem, OR wrote a great article on the free denture services given by Keizer, OR lead dentist Dr. Pascal Nguyen to a man preparing for his wedding. The article also includes comments from Aspen Dental Regional Manager Mitch Harness.

Check out the full article below!

Statesman Journal
Keizer Aspen Dental gives man the perfect wedding gift: A new set of teeth
By Cara Pallone
June 6, 2024

She set the budget, bought the dress and brainstormed the guest list.

Jessica Brumbaugh had it in her mind that she would marry fiance Casey Hurley next summer. She would be the bride she always envisioned. Casey would smile at her as she walked down the aisle.

Key word being “smile.”

A new set of teeth

The dentist has his instruments in hand and gives the dreaded command: “Open wide.”

Casey knows the drill.

“Ahhh,” he says, following orders.

The dentist taps each tooth. The prognosis isn’t good: “Cavity. Decay. Decay to the bone. Cavities under fillings. Abscesses under roots.”
On the wall are posters with inspirational quotes about smiles.

“Peace begins with a smile.” — Mother Theresa

“A smile is the universal welcome.” — Max Eastman

Casey is an expert at holding back his smile. He hasn’t had dental work in about a decade, and since then, most of his teeth have fallen out. Some of them have broken off and are creating infection in his gums. He has a mouth full of holes and decay and abscesses that make him want to knock his head against the wall the pain can be so intense.

He already knows what you’re probably thinking: meth.

“I’m sure people think I do a bunch of drugs,” he says.

Casey is in bed by 10 p.m. most nights and up early — like 5 a.m. early — so he can drink coffee before work. Jessica is up around that time, too. The couple has one car, and with Casey’s job in Salem, and Jessica’s at Stayton Elementary School, scheduling can be a nightmare.
But missing work is not an option.

In April, Casey developed an infection in his mouth that cost him a couple of days. Jessica decided enough was enough. She didn’t want to see her fiance in constant pain anymore. She thought about how his teeth have affected his life and his confidence.

She’d be lying if she said wedding pictures never crossed her mind.

And so as Casey started yet another round of antibiotics, Jessica began thinking of ways to get her future husband a new set of teeth.

Dental distress

Casey and Jessica met two and a half years ago in Salem, but it was not love at first sight.

“We grew on each other,” Jessica says with a laugh.

She did notice Casey’s teeth — though they weren’t as bad as they are today — but was more concerned about what her family would think.

As for Casey, his mouth has been a sore subject — literally and figuratively — for as long as he can remember.

“I don’t talk about my teeth with anybody,” he says, his speech slightly impeded by dental distress. “They’ve always been bad, so I just don’t talk about it.”

Casey was born premature, weighing 3 pounds at birth. He had all of his teeth capped when he was a kid and has been plagued by weak enamel his entire life, he says.

He hasn’t had dental insurance since he was 18, and rent, food and other necessities have taken priority over his decaying teeth.

“If it’s just a regular abscess, I’ll deal with it until the swelling goes back down,” he says.

His situation is more common than one might think. The lack of access to preventative care often results in a trip to the emergency room. Providence Health & Services estimates that of the uninsured individuals who visit hospital emergency departments, up to 30 percent represent dental issues.

Today, at age 28, Casey’s mouth is an unsightly space. He hides his smile. It’s difficult for him to eat.

“I wish I had perfect teeth,” he says.

If he did, he’d tear into a “big old juicy steak.”

On a mission

Once she made up her mind, there was no turning back.

Jessica began collecting cans and bottles. She’s started squirreling away items for a giant garage sale. She launched a campaign on an online fundraising site, hoping to collect donations for Casey’s new teeth.

The wedding. That was another thing. Jessica decided it should be put on hold they had enough money to pay for the dental work.

“Hopefully not for too long,” Jessica says. “But if I have to put it off another year, I’ll do it.”

She called around to organizations and groups that offer free or low-cost dental care, but learned that the waiting lists were long and that Casey’s teeth might be pulled, but they would not be replaced.

In April, she found a place in town that offers $1 X-rays. It was there that she and Casey learned his dental work would cost nearly $6,000.
As much as a second car. As much as a wedding.

The dental chair

Jessica heard that a place in Keizer might offer a payment plan on top of free X-rays. Something inside her told her to call for an appointment. She decided it would be worth hearing a second opinion and comparing costs.

And so she made the appointment on June 4 — her 25th birthday.

That’s how Casey ended up Tuesday in Dr. Pascal Nguyen’s dental chair, with his mouth wide open and Jessica, organized as ever, sitting on a stool in the corner holding a binder full of numbers and wedding details and phone numbers.

Casey knows his infection is back. Nguyen looks in his mouth and agrees. Casey tells the dentist in a matter-of-fact voice that sometimes his face swells so badly it affects his vision.

Nguyen has a pained look on his face.

“I’m leaning toward taking everything out,” he says.

Casey and Jessica like that idea. Jessica pipes up from her corner, letting everyone know that they are just comparing prices and that Casey has a job but he doesn’t have insurance.

Nguyen nods his head. He rarely sees teeth in this condition.

“It’s dangerous for your health,” he tells Casey.

A sweet surprise

The time has come. Jessica and Casey look nervous. They are sitting with Office Manager Kristin Suing in a corner room at the Keizer dental office looking at different denture options as she punches numbers into a computer.

Suing prints out the estimate and places it in front of them. Jessica gasps. The total patient cost would be $9,126.
As much as a second car. As much as a wedding.

Just as Jessica and Casey’s faces fall in disappointment, Suing clears her throat.

“We’re going to give it all to you at no cost,” she tells the couple.

Jessica bursts into tears at the news. Casey breaks down next.

The two hug and cry and repeat the same phrase over and over again: “Are you serious? Oh my God, are you serious?”

A history of compassion

When Aspen Dental learned Jessica was raising money to pay for her fiance’s dental work, the wheels at the Keizer office began to turn.

Ultimately, it would be Dr. Nguyen’s decision whether to gift the couple the dental work. But it wouldn’t be the first time the company stepped up to help someone in need.

In April, a patient visiting the Aspen Dental office in Roseburg wrote on his paperwork that he needed a miracle. When staff members saw his plea for help, they banded together. They accepted the money he had — $500 — and did thousands of dollars worth of dental work for free.

“It’s a life-altering thing,” said Regional Manager Mitch Harness. “People get tired of talking with a hand in front of their mouth.”

It will indeed change Jessica and Casey’s lives.

The couple is back on track to marry next summer. Jessica will be the bride she’s always envisioned. And Casey will smile at her as she walks down the aisle.

Key word being “smile.”