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Jessica Schrecengost got more than her "two
front teeth for Christmas" as the song goes. The mother of four now has a
radiant smile thanks to Bridgeville dentist Dr. Wayne DiBartola Jr.
The dentist, who has sweet memories playing on the Pitt team which won the
Sugar Bowl Classic against Georgia on New Year's Day in 1982, granted her
wish as part of a Smile Makeover Contest. She received $23,000 worth of
dental improvements as the winner of the contest held with radio station FM
92.9.
DiBartola, who lives in Peters Township, said, "Many people avoid going to
the dentist due to fear and anxiety. Some delay so long that they have major
dental issues."
He decided to conduct the contest to demonstrate that their fears can be
overcome with sedation dentistry.
"With sedation the patient is relaxed and comfortable during the entire
experience and years of neglect can be corrected sometimes in only one or
two visits," DiBartola said.
Schrecengost always knew the value of a smile, but was not proud of hers.
"I have always been the type of person to smile no matter what happens
because there is someone out there whose life is worse than yours. No matter
how bad things got, a smile made it better, whether it came from a child or
just someone passing by. It just made you feel better. But my smile was
nothing I could be proud of," she said.
When Schrecengost was young she didn't regularly visit a dentist. As she
matured her responsibilities and meeting her children's needs, kept her from
spending dental fees on herself.
"As a child, I didn't see the big deal but I wish someone would have cared
just a little more," she wrote in her contest entry. She noted with regret
that the one thing that she wished she could have changed was her smile.
She told how she got pregnant at age 14 and 17. At age 18, she was on her
own working to support the children. "Getting any work on my teeth was not
in the budget," she said.
When she was 21, she met her future husband. "I have few wedding pictures
because I was ashamed of my teeth," she said.
After having two more children, she said her teeth became worse. Having bad
teeth is horrible. There's some sort of pain, cavities, cracked teeth,
abscess, you name it, " she said.
"With four kids, there is always something to smile or laugh at, pictures
snapped, memories made. I look through all the pictures. I wish my smile was
as big as the ones on my kids' faces," she said.
When her first son turned 14, he needed braces because of the effects of the
bacterial meningitis he had when he was just two years old.
Her insurance would have covered this cost, but she lost her job and paid
for his braces rather than fixing her teeth. Her husband told her about the
contest. She wrote that she is the maid of honor for her little sister who
is getting married in June.
"It would mean so much to all of us if I was able to have the pictures taken
and be smiling in them," Schrecengost wrote.
Her entry was selected from 60 submitted.
Schrecengost said in just three to four visits, she was smiling from ear to
and noted that Dr. DiBartola and his staff made her feel so comfortable and
at ease.
"I smile all the time just because I can. It really does boost your
self-confidence. I have come to realize that we only live life once and it's
far too short not to enjoy it. Dr. DiBartola and his staff have given me the
greatest gift I could ever ask for besides my family, of course. It's the
perfect smile to show off," Schrecengost said.
Wayne J DiBartola Jr DMD
Portman's Country Commons
3249 Washington Pike
Suite 1106 - 1107
Bridgeville, PA 15017
(877) 740-2831
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