A dentist gave one of his patients, a survivor of domestic violence, a reason to smile once again.
Dentist Kenny Wilstead shared a video on the Love What Matters Facebook page of the patient, Kyleigha, reacting to the generous gift. It was an experience, the dentist wrote, that he "will cherish forever."
"Kyleigha came into my office for a wisdom tooth extraction and I asked her what happened to her front tooth," Wilstead captioned the video. "She told me her Ex headbutted her and the last dentist couldn't fix it. So for 2 years she said she had lived with her front tooth in shambles."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Wilstead then wrote that because the procedures were so expensive, she planned on waiting until she received her tax returns so that she could "fix all her teeth."
"I said.... 'Hell no!! We're gonna fix that tooth right now, no charge,'" he continued. "She didn't ask or expect anything of the sort. This was her reaction. She said she was definitely going to have me fix all her teeth with tax returns. I said....'Hell no!! We're gonna fix that tooth right now, no charge.' She didn't ask or expect anything of the sort."
The story resonated with a number of commenters who said that their lives had also been changed by generous people when they were in times of need.
"I can only say having been in a similar situation and having a loving family member take my hand and say, don’t worry we will fix the problem.....it makes me tear up even now a year later," one commenter wrote. "This dentist deserves a lot of kind words."
Another person shared that she, too, "had a similar instance with my ex" and confirmed that something as seemingly simple as going to the dentist could make "a huge difference in confidence and comfort."
The world truly needs more people like this dentist.
If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call theRAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).