MISSOULA — Veterans Day was a big deal at Big Sky Smiles & Sedation in Missoula.
The staff spent the holiday brightening up veterans’ smiles for free, even giving one former soldier a new set of teeth.
"The plan is we're giving him two implants on the bottom and six on top and we're completely changing his smile. We're giving him a new set of teeth today,” said owner, and former Navy Lieutenant, Dr. Tyler Bond. “Normally these people are paying $50,000, $60,000 for something like this and we're just going to give it to them."
While many places around town closed on Monday, the dental office stayed open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., as Dr. Bond installed a full set of implants and other staff cleaned veterans’ teeth.
“I’ve only been a veteran for two years or so, and it's always been in my personal ethos to be able to give back,” said Dr. Bond. “What better way to be able to do that than with the veteran community? To be able to give back to the guys that fought and had their buddies die overseas, you know? It's the least I could do."
By hosting the holiday event, one of the staff’s goals was to make care more accessible for veterans.
This drew in Matthew Voog, who served in the U.S. Army for seven years and came in for a free teeth cleaning.
“I think it’s an awesome thing to do. It's a lot easier than trying to get an appointment with the V.A.,” said Matthew Voog. “It would be nice if they reform the V.A. system, make it a little easier for veterans to get care.”
In addition to the dental care, the office gave out vouchers for lunch from the Tacos El Patron food truck, parked out front.
They also planned to draw a raffle, with special prizes picked with veterans in mind.
With the office's strong military ties, they are already looking forward to doing this again.
“We're absolutely going to do this again. If not on Memorial Day, we'll do it again on Veterans Day,” Dr. Bond said. “I'm just happy to be able to do this.”
