Patient Profile: Veronika
Veronika suffers with severe tooth decay and had not seen a dentist in eight years.
Veronika’s tooth pain takes her to her knees.
“My teeth make me real sick once every few months,” she said. “I just feel terrible. My stomach’s upset. My whole body is tired. I feel like I’ve been poisoned.”
She has been experiencing severe tooth and gum decay for many years and even received care at the Mission when it opened in 1999 until her financial situation worsened and she felt she had no choice but to delay her care. When she resumed care at the clinic this year, it had been eight years since Veronika had seen a dentist.
“As a mother, you have to put the kids and their needs first,” she said, “And sometimes coming up with even $25 for a dental appointment for me isn’t easy.”
Veronika is a mother of five and a grandmother of two and one on the way. She and the three children who live at home with her rely on one person’s Social Security benefits to make ends meet.
“If it weren’t for the Mission,” she said, “I’d simply be suffering with no hope of relief.”
