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Face—to—face
with the New Me
Jessica's mother noticed Jessica hadn't
returned to the dentist waiting room just before her surgery was supposed to
start. She walked to the bathroom and found Jessica in here, crying. She took
her daughter into her arms. "We're going to say goodbye to the old
Jessica," she said. "And hi to the new Jessica."
Jessica,
from St Louis. US, had been wishing for this day since high school, when the
bullying about her started. Now that it
was finally happening, she was nervous.
It was a social—media post two months ago
that got her here. Someone posted a photo of Jessica with a comment about her
overbite. The post was shared many times, with many people making mean remarks
about her appearance.
The bullies didn't know the road Jessica
had traveled. She underwent nine operations on her ears from age 2 to 12 years
old. She was almost deaf in her right ear. Her adult teeth didn't start coining
in until she was 11 or 12, and doctors couldn't figure out why they were pushed
outward. It got worse as she got older. Jessica had been trying for years to
get her teeth fixed, but it was always too costly.
When her story got out, Maryann Udy, a
dentist, got in contact with Jessica and offered her a new smile—free of
charge. The surgery was long and complicated It took several months before
Jessica's new smile was ready.
Later that year, she looked at her old
photos online and smiled. "I loved her," she said. She's grateful to
be in less pain, to be on the path to a new smile. Sometimes, though, it feels
like something is missing from who she was.
Still, she loves taking selfies and
admiring her new appearance. "I looked good before," she said.
"I look even better now."
