Incredible smile makeover of woman hit by a car - twenty years AFTER the accident
A WOMAN whose face was badly damaged in a serious car accident twenty years ago has had her smile transformed by a Brighton clinic.
Donna Fidoe, from the Lake District, was the victim of a horrific accident which left her hospitalised with broken bones and a disfigured face.
Donna, then 25, had been out celebrating and was walking home when a Renault 25 travelling at 43mph clipped her as she stepped off the pavement.
Donna’s head smashed through the windscreen, her body rotated and was forced over the roof of the car and as her head came back out of the windscreen the left side of her face got caught on the glass, ripping the flesh wide open.
Donna was then flung 13 meters behind the car snapping three bones in her legs and causing multiple hairline fractures to her front top teeth and cracking her bottom teeth.
After a lengthy time in a hospital it became apparent to Donna that although her broken bones would heal, some things wouldn’t.
It took many years of restorative surgery to fix her face and crowns were needed to hold her teeth together as they became more and more fragile.
Sadly Donna was the victim of domestic violence, which caused more damage to her already fragile teeth.
She finally escaped the relationship - but the damage to her teeth was done, and a top front tooth had snapped off.
Unable to repair the tooth yet again, it had to be removed, and Donna was forced to wear a denture to replace it.
It was at this point that Donna finally gave up and hid herself away.
She said: “I rarely left the house at all as I hated the denture so much, it petrified me and every time I put it in my mouth it just took over.
“I couldn’t concentrate on anything else as I was constantly thinking about the denture.
It’s my firm belief that implants should be affordable to those suffering with missing teeth or loose dentures
“It also affected my speech so much that I hated answering the phone as people would think I was drunk and slurring.
“I had to remember to take it out beforehand, and if people were visiting it was awful as I hated taking it out in front of anyone, so in the end I stopped people coming to see me.”
Brighton Implant Clinic heard Donna’s story and wanted to help her, so offered her their ‘Teeth in a Day’ procedure.
Founder of the clinic, Dr Bruno Silva, often offers free dental work to veterans and people who have lost their teeth due to cancer treatments.
He explained: “It’s my firm belief that implants should be affordable to those suffering with missing teeth or loose dentures. Everyone should feel comfortable and happy with their smile.”
Discussing the treatment, Donna said: “Dr Bruno explained how the rest of my teeth could also be lost over time as they had been repaired so many times before.
“He said that the best way to permanently help me regain my confidence would be to replace all my own teeth so they offered me the 'Teeth in a Day' procedure.”
Jeremy Kyle guest tells how new teeth have changed her life
One day after treatment Donna headed back to her family in the Lake District wearing her new smile.
She said: “Although my family had always been supportive and tried to understand how much my teeth had affected me I don't think anyone can ever really understand.
“Travelling back home with my new teeth I couldn’t wait to see my family as both my grandchildren were going to be Christened the following Sunday which is one of those family occasions in the past that I always avoided due to hating having my picture taken.
“Now I’m looking forward to capturing every moment of the day with a big smile and looking the way a happy, proud Mother and Grandmother should look.
“At last I finally look like me again and I’ve never felt more confident.
“I really cannot thank Dr Bruno and all his staff enough for all they’ve done.
“Everything was brilliant; they were all so helpful and kind, they looked after me every step of the way - even putting me up in a beautiful hotel.
“It’s one of the best things that͛s ever happened to me and it’s given me another chance at living a life and keeping me smiling.”
Donna shared her story as one dentist revealed whether you really have to floss or not.