TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A new pilot program is helping some of Tucson's more vulnerable neighbors get their smiles back, starting with Demitria Sanchez.
“When I’m talking, I try to cover my teeth with my lips because its embarrassing,” she said. “I try to guess what the person I’m talking to, what they’re going to say, and if it's going to be funny because if it's going to be funny, I need to cover my mouth or I need to figure out how to laugh without my teeth showing.”
Her mom, Angie Bevins says growing up, she was a happy kid who had loved to smile.
“She’d be in her crib and wake up in the morning, and I’d walk in and pull down the bumper and she’d be smiling," Bevins said.
Now in recovery, Sanchez struggled through a years-long battle with depression that left her neglecting her oral hygiene which affected her ability to talk, eat or even get a job.
“They look at my mouth," she said. "And I know I don’t have the job. I can tell by the way they look at me.”
So, as a participant in Avant's recovery programming, she was first in line for the pilot program between Avant Recovery and Marana Health Center with funding from a Banner Health community reinvestment grant.
“98% of the people in general mental health and substance use need preventative or restorative dental healthcare," said Aaron Avery, founder of Avant Recovery.
He says that kind of care can be expensive out of pocket and isn't covered by Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System or AHCCCS. which is Medicaid in Arizona. AHCCCS only covers necessity dental procedures for adults.
MHC and Avant's program offers anything from cleaning to full restorative care.
“Often when people are on the road to recovery, they want to get back to work," said MHC CEO Dr. Josh Carzoli "They want to get back to society, but often the cost of dental care is so extremely high that without a job, they’re unable to make that transition.”
Avant has 15 appointments scheduled after Sanchez's with 30 more applications for after.
In a few months, Sanchez will have a new set of top teeth and a partial bottom denture.
“I dream about eating apples and chips, so that I can hear the crunch again and know it isn’t going to stab me in my gums," she said.
She says her first meal will be her mom's fried pork chops.
“I’m going to be able to make people smile and smile myself without worrying that they’re judging me on my teeth," she said.
——
Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.
