‘Getting my self-confidence back’: Patient receives free surgery for a new smile
By KETV Staff
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PAPILLION, Neb. (KETV) — Not many people look forward to surgery, but Kaitland Simpson has been waiting for this one for 30 years.
Simpson lost all her teeth as a child to Sjögren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that attacks her salivary glands.
“I didn’t think I would get here. It’s been a long time,” Simpson said.
Oral Surgery Associates and maxillofacial surgeon Stephen Coffey are changing her life, one implant at a time. Omaha’s News Leader highlighted Dr. Coffey’s work in 2020, when he helped a local mom and mentor with a new smile.
“We’re putting multiple dental implants into somebody’s mouth that will ultimately support a dental implant-supported full bridge of teeth,” Coffey said.
Simpson started her journey to a new smile with surgery on Monday. It’ll be an almost four-month process, but it will come at no cost to her thanks to the Give a Smile program.
“We try to identify people in need that need this procedure but may not otherwise be able to achieve it because of financial reasons,” Coffey said.
“I will never be able to thank him enough,” Simpson said. “There was no way I could have afforded it on my own, and him doing this is just amazing and incredible. He is truly an angel.”
While Simpson’s journey just started, she knew of Coffey before even hearing about the program.
“I remembered Dr. Coffey’s name from when I worked at Blue Cross,” Simpson said. “They would always call in to get benefits and claim status, and I always remembered the name. I said, ‘If I ever have to have oral surgery, he’s who I want to go to.'”
And out of all the referrals, Coffey selected Simpson.
“Kaitland is a very kind person. She’s a very young person. She lost her teeth at a young age really due to no fault of her own, and it’s just a really nice opportunity to help somebody in need who is as young as she is,” Coffey said.
Simpson won’t get her final teeth for another four months, but she’s ready for two things: eating her first steak and being herself.
“I’m looking forward to getting my self-confidence back,” Simpson said.
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