Patient Spotlight

Arturo’s Story

“Man, I need to do something different.”

Extractions & dentures

Arturo: before and after treatment at Mint for More — Before & after: Arturo, a real Mint for More patient. Photo used with permission.

For years, when the pain woke Arturo up in the middle of the night, there was only one place to go: the emergency room. He went knowing what they’d say. Antibiotics, and a referral that “never worked out. Always hard to get in.” And then he’d go back, because there was nowhere else.

“I knew my teeth were messed up,” he says. “Being around a lot of people, or laughing, or taking pictures, I didn’t want to be part of that. I tried to avoid it.”

Then Arturo got clean (sixteen months and counting) and started rebuilding: two jobs, staying busy on purpose, staying focused. “I was like, ‘Man, I need to do something different.’” The person overseeing his care saw it too, and referred him to Mint for More.

“Normally I’d try to stay off the register. And now I’m just like, I don’t care.”

After extractions and dentures, the man who avoided pictures now gets up and talks in front of people. At the sub shop where he works, he used to hide in the back; now he takes the register without a second thought. Cold food doesn’t hurt anymore. “Pineapples would always hurt, and now I love pineapple.”

Sobriety gave Arturo his life back. His smile is helping him keep it.

What changed

The ER dead-endMidnight pain, antibiotics, referrals that went nowhere. Now: no pain.

Nowhere to get inEvery referral was a door that wouldn’t open. Now: a full smile, free.

Avoided the cameraNo laughing, no pictures. Now: front of the register, front of the room.

Pineapple againCold food used to hurt too much. Now it’s his favorite.

Arturo giving two thumbs up after treatment at Mint for More

“I was in a dark place. Just know that you are changing people’s lives. Don’t miss out on having the chance to help somebody change their life.”

Arturo, to anyone thinking about donating

Mint for More provides free dental care to neighbors who lack access to a dental home. Stories like Arturo’s are made possible by donors, and by the nonprofit partners who refer the neighbors we serve.

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