In The News - Dr. Duncan
Tue November 8, 2005
Dental program aids victim's recovery
By Beth Gollob
The Oklahoman
Jamie's new $35,000 smile makeover won't be finished for about four months, but the 22-year-old mother of two already is starting to feel like a celebrity.
Her social life has improved because now she smiles instead of covering her mouth. A business acquaintance even compared her to a movie star, she said.
"I've been getting the Julia Roberts thing a lot," Jamie said, flashing a nearly perfect grin.
But a little more than a year ago, Jamie was among tens of thousands of Oklahomans annually who report spousal abuse. Beatings and poor nutrition left her mouth a wreck of broken and decayed teeth. But through a national dentistry program, her smile is returning, along with self-esteem and the confidence to start a new life -- for free.
A broken smile
For the first two months of their marriage, everything was fine, Jamie said. But one day her now-estranged husband became angry. At first he pushed her, but it soon escalated to slaps, punches, kicks and starvation.
One time he busted her head open with a brick. Another time, he slammed her into a wall, she said.
She was 5½ months pregnant with their first child when he sandwiched her between two mattresses and bounced on her like a trampoline, she said.
"It went from the perfect life to the worst possible thing ever," she said. "Luckily both of my kids came out normal. The only thing was (my daughter) was a little premature."
Jamie weighed about 80 pounds when she was three months pregnant with her second child. Although she worked, she wasn't allowed to have any money or leave the house, except to work, she said.
Cuts, bruises, and broken teeth only augmented her shattered self-image. Before she could grab her children and leave, even her teeth were used against her, Jamie said.
"He used to say I couldn't leave because my teeth were so messed up that nobody else would want to be with me," she said.
Jamie's teeth were further spoiled by malnutrition, a common cause of tooth decay, said her dentist, Mark Duncan of Dental Design Institute.
Duncan began working on Jamie's teeth about a year ago, after she was referred to the Give Back a Smile program, a national American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry project. More than 800 participants nationwide provide dental work for abuse victims to help boost their confidence, according to the organization.
"This is all supposed to be the first of a series of steps to get their lives back together again," Duncan said.
Not just a family problem
Jamie left her husband while visiting an ill relative, but the long-term effects on her daughter already are evident, she said.
"That's one of the hardest things is the kids. My daughter jumps and cries easily at loud sounds now," she said.
Jan Peery, chief executive officer of YWCA of Oklahoma City, said that's common with spousal abuse.
"The thing that most people don't think about is the children in these homes. We know children in a home of domestic violence are more likely to become sexually active early, more likely to use drugs and more likely to become an abuser -- sometimes as early as their teens," Peery said.
"This isn't an issue that just affects the woman or man next door, it's something that affects the whole community."
Resources exist for victims trying to escape an abusive situation, but the system isn't perfect, said Marcia Smith, executive director of the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
Of Oklahoma's 77 counties, about 35 have domestic violence services available. Only 28 shelters exist statewide, providing about 600 beds to victims and their children. And they're always full, Smith said.
"Fortunately, we don't work from waiting lists. We can get victims into a safe situation immediately. They may have to sleep on a pallet, but we can get them to a safe shelter right away," Smith said.
The statewide Oklahoma SAFELINE, (800) 522-7233, also offers victims a means of escape, she said.
Domestic violence-related medical costs, combined with tardiness, lost wages and lost productivity, cost American employers billions of dollars every year, Smith said.
A new smile
Jamie was accepted into the dental program after a five-month wait. Participants must undergo counseling and meet with a social worker, who determines whether their claims are legitimate, Duncan said.
Participants also must prove they've been out of the abusive relationship for at least one year before their application will even be considered.
Normally, the program covers the cost of repairing the front teeth only, but Duncan insisted on repairing Jamie's entire mouth, he said.
That meant several tooth extractions and porcelain veneers to hide the damage. Duncan even convinced his dental school classmate Jackson Sullivan, an endodontist from Edmond, to donate six root canals for the cause.
"She's a sweet girl. She was having to go out on her own with kids, having to face the world with a mouth full of bad teeth," Duncan said.
"It became very easy to look at Jamie and know something like this would have a tremendous impact."
Jamie already is planning for a new future. She'd like to study psychology and become a counselor or social worker.
None of her plans would have been possible without the dose of confidence prescribed alongside her brilliant smile.
"Having this done has really changed my outlook on life," she said.
"This is all supposed to be the first of a series of steps to get their lives back together again." --Dr. Mark Duncan
Abused seek help
About 15,000 women and children sought help from state domestic violence agencies in 2003.
More than 25,000 domestic violence cases were recorded in 2002. Of those, 71 percent were felony assault and battery cases, 26 percent were felony assault cases, 2 percent were violent sex crimes and 1 percent were homicides.
Domestic abuse reports increased more than 50 percent between 1993 and 2002, but officials estimate only one in four victims actually report being abused.
For information
Give Back a Smile is a national community service project of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. For more information, or to find a provider, visit the Web site at www.aacd.com and click on "Give Back a Smile."
Source: Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
