By Rashmi Vaish
Mostly you can hide those scars under make up, high-necked long-sleeved blouses, trousers or long skirts. But were you unfortunate enough to have a partner who smashed your teeth in, there’s no hiding your past. No sooner would you open your mouth to talk, or even just smile harmlessly, than your teeth would scream “battered woman,” painful enough to admit to yourself without having questioning glances and stares directed right at you.
But if there’s one thing life is about, it’s hope. And the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry got together for just that purpose in 1999, creating a program called Give Back a Smile, modeled on Face to Face: The Domestic Violence Project. The latter program the NCADV was working with at the time in collaboration with the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Since then more than 240 cases of domestic abuse have seen completion through the Give Back a Smile program with 164 currently undergoing treatment in various parts of the country.
In Give Back a Smile, dentists from all over the country who are with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry volunteer their time and skills pro bono for women and men who require dental work due to injuries sustained during the course of an abusive relationship. One of these dentists is Dr. K. Scott Danoff, who practices in Little Neck and volunteered for the program last year. Danoff has already worked with one survivor of domestic violence via the GBAS program.
In sheer dental terms, it’s no different than working with any other patient, Danoff said of his experience with the program so far. “It’s just free of charge for the patient who arrives through the (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence) process. For the first few hours somewhere in the back of your mind you think, ‘I could be working on a regular paying patient making money here.’” But that doesn’t last too long, he said, because the real reward is seeing the patient smile once the procedures are done.
“You certainly can’t make a practice out of working for nothing,” he said candidly, “but it’s a great feeling to know that somebody’s life has been improved.”
As one recipient of the program, Saevlen from Hawaii, said in a testimonial on the Give Back a Smile Web site, “Not only was my smile restored, my self image, self-respect and self-confidence were whole again.”
A survivor must first contact the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence through its national hotline, 1-800-773-4227. The NCADV processes the applications and then forwards them to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, explains Edna Frantella, professional services coordinator for the NCADV’s programs. “The AACD then contacts a dentist nearest to where the survivor lives.”
To be able to qualify for the program, survivors must complete the application form and meet three guidelines. They must be out of the abusive relationship for a year, the injuries received must be from a spouse in an abusive relationship and they must have a face-to-face meeting with a counselor in their community. “If the person does not have immediate access to a counselor, the NCADV can provide a list of resources he or she can tap,” Frantella added.
Often, though, applicants are unable to meet all three guidelines and have to be refused. In 2003 the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence received 1,293 voice mail requests on its hotline from individuals and agencies requesting services. Of these, only 209 completed applications were forwarded to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
It’s difficult meeting the three guidelines. For instance, the program is stringent about the one-year time period. “It’s an assurance the program and even the doctors need that the person won’t re-enter the abusive relationship and be re-abused,” Frantella said. “If the survivor has been away for less time, the likelihood that the abuser will re-establish his role is much higher.”
A lot of times people are not able to prove the injuries were a direct result of abuse. “At times like that we have to refuse the applicant, which feels really bad because these people have a genuine problem with resources and could really use the help,” Frantella said.
Further, as Kristen Klinkner, foundation coordinator of the Give Back a Smile program, explained, most survivors move a lot. This makes it difficult to tie them down to one particular community or place, she added. Once the application is approved, passed on to the academy and a local volunteer dentist accepts the case, it is up to the patient to contact the doctor and keep appointments.
“There are a lot of people who don’t turn up for the appointments or move away and simply opt out of the program,” Klinkner said.
Just taking the step toward a change is very difficult for a survivor. “When they come in, they have really low self confidence,” Danoff said. “People come in very afraid, not trusting of society in general. For them, it’s an experience that’s pretty much life changing.”
It’s what makes volunteering in a program like this out of the ordinary. “These cases take time and energy,” Danoff continued. “There’s a lot of psychology involved in it too — just in talking to people, making them feel at ease. It’s hard enough being a victim of domestic violence. And then to come and sit in the dentist’s chair … it’s something most people fear.
“So you have to be able to make them feel comfortable because you are, after all, invading their space. It’s not about acting any differently towards them. Just having our own internal sensitivities to their situation. The whole idea is to get these people back into society.”
Reach contributing writer Rashmi Vaish by e-mail at news@timesledger.com.
