I Felt Like I Couldn't Be Myself Ever, It Was Very Sad

In this heartfelt and emotional journey, Raegan shares her powerful story of overcoming immense physical and emotional challenges. After enduring trauma, severe health issues, and an eating disorder that left her with the x-ray of a 9-year-old at just 21, Raegan's life took a transformative turn thanks to a full dental reconstruction. Led by Dr. Tamir Anver, the procedure involved rare zygomatic implants, restoring both her smile and her confidence. This life-changing moment gave Raegan not just a new set of teeth, but a new sense of self, empowering her to reclaim her life after years of struggle. Watch as she opens up about the impact this incredible journey has had on her identity, happiness, and day-to-day life.
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Raegan: I just wanted to say that this is a major life-changing moment for me in many ways. One thing that you all have made me realize is even though I don't feel worth it, you make me feel like I'm worth something positive in life and rewarding after everything that I've been through, and I'm just extremely grateful for all that you all do.
Dr. Tamir Anver: Raegan's story is a really difficult one to talk about. It's unlike anything I've heard before, but the amount of trauma that she went through, a 21-year-old young woman who had the x-ray of a nine-year-old and one leg just, really needing a chance, really needing help, really needing hope.
Raegan: Well, it started with my mom, a lot of medical things and just wasn't a good environment, had all my teeth extracted at a dental school when I was 16, ended up heavily in an eating disorder after that just due to low self-esteem that I think primarily, and so it was definitely like, I didn't want to talk to anybody, very just in my shell just because I didn't want to be looked at.
Dr. Anver: We met with her and reviewed her case, and really, she had only one option. She needed a total reconstruction using dental implants to give her upper and lower teeth again, which for her, at her age would absolutely just give her a chance of having a life again.
Raegan: I knew that there was this zygoma implants, but hardly anybody did it. That's one thing that about whenever I came here, it was like, "Okay, let's have it done," and that was, like, such a monumental point in my life. It was such a connection, and I opened up fully with things that even I haven't really discussed with anybody, and so I felt very able to do that. It was a safe place to be able to do that, and I'm not going to be judged, I'm not going to, you know... and I immediately felt that with everyone here.
After the surgery, it was just like I felt this new sense of self, and honestly, also coming back into who I was before all of that happened. I couldn't stop smiling or anything like that, but it made such a difference. I didn't understand how much of an impact positively that it would give me, and not just from, like I say, the confidence aspect but also eating.
I don't know how to [inaudible]
Female: Do it.
Female 2: Apply mouth to apple. Yay!
Raegan: I didn't think that that could happen.
Female: Look at that.
Female 2: Look at that. Let me see.
Raegan: In everyday life, I feel like you don't think about with teeth because it's just like they're there. It makes such a difference being able to feel normal in that. I think that's also why it made such a difference in not changing who I am as a person, but changing how I presented myself, how I talked, how I acted, how I did so many different things.
Man: What does your smile mean to you?
Raegan: It means so much more now, and I feel like I can't even put it in into words, and it's a feeling. I feel like I can be my silly self, but I don't know how to explain it. It really is just like such a deep, meaningful feeling that I have.
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Texas Center for Oral Surgery & Dental Implants
www.oralsurger...
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At the Texas Center for Oral Surgery and Dental Implants, we’ve distinguished ourselves by never settling for the minimum of anything. That means extensive training-detailed below-and ongoing educational efforts that continue today. Constantly investing in new dental technology that makes your treatment faster, less invasive, and more effective. It means taking the time to listen to you and educate you on all your treatment options. We’ve worked hard to create a welcoming, friendly, and even fun family culture in which you’re treated like an individual. If you need an oral surgeon in Flower Mound and Denton, TX, choose one that never cuts corners. You’ll find two here!
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