– Mum hasn’t seen me yet. She will start to cry. Leslie Medhurst has begun to smile again. He doesn’t have to keep his mouth shut. And don’t be ashamed. – Think, … the family photos. I can stand in front. Me, who has always stood at the back. In a few days he is going home for Christmas. – It’s the gift I never thought I’d get, says Leslie. Before the treatment, Leslie Medhurst had not been to the dentist since 1992. Despite the fear of the dentist From March 2023, there were many visits to the dentist. Towards a new life Finally, the time for feelings of shame and wasted food was soon over. The pre-Christmas gift of the ages Just before Christmas 2023, a new smile was in place. Free treatment Medhurst appeared on news in March. He smiled bravely with a toothless grin. For years the menu had been irresistible. Soups. Most food. Ice cream. Employers muttered and nodded politely after job interviews. Without a job, with limited finances – and constant dental fear since 1992 – the situation was hopeless. The rescue was a collaboration between Hjelp oss å hæver i Kristiansand and a dental chain, which has so far provided free treatment to the disadvantaged for NOK 2 million. Just days before Christmas Eve, the 47-year-old finished the life-changing treatment. He thanks the dentists. He thinks they did a terrific job. – They gave me my confidence back. Now I’m going to look for a job. I can stand in the shop and meet customers. TEETH AND CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: Leslie Medhurst has lived in Norway for 15 years. – What a Christmas present, says the 47-year-old who received help via Elisabeth Thorsen in Hjelp oss å hæver. Photo: eirik damsgaard / news This year’s Christmas gift In the premises of Hjelp oss å hæft in Kristiansand, the clamps are loose when Leslie tells her story. Managing director Elisabeth Thorsen stands in a sea of gray paper bags. They are packed ready with food and drink for the Christmas weekend, with name tags attached. Still, she has no doubts. The best Christmas present of the year just arrived at the door – in the form of a smile from ear to ear. – This was the most beautiful thing. We see what it means to have teeth that work. Unfortunately, many cannot afford to prioritize it, says Thorsen. Help us to help has been involved in designating disadvantaged people who received help for their dental problems. – Unfortunately, we couldn’t help everyone, she says. GREAT NEED: – There are many people in Leslie’s situation. We have only scratched the surface, says Igor Salai in Dental Norway. Photo: EIRIK DAMSGAARD / news NOK 80,000 The treatment for Medhurst – with prostheses above and below – has a value of around NOK 80,000. Seventeen teeth had to come out. Or was it eighteen? In any case, there were more than there are verses in most Christmas carols. And they should be sung without shame around the Christmas tree at the family home in England. After the Christmas food has been chewed for the first time in many years. – I had to learn to speak again. But now it’s going well. And I can eat and chew whatever I want. It means so much to the taste, says Leslie. The dental treatment is carried out by the Dental Norge chain, which states that the budget for the entire project is NOK 2.5 million spread over three clinics. – It turned out to be a slightly bigger job than we first thought. But it was an honor to help Leslie, says general manager Igor Salai. The dentists only want one return. – He promised to show us new family photos, says Salai. – He talked about them several times.
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Then Leslie (47) got new teeth for Christmas – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
