“Smiles always make a picture look way nicer,” wrote Samantha Valencia, a 14-year-old freshman at Madera High School. “And they give a shine to someone’s face. However, my teeth make me think twice about smiling because it is not the best smile in the world. I should not let it get to my head, but it affects me because I feel insecure about my smile.”
Her desire to have her teeth straightened led her to submit an essay that will make her dream of a pretty smile come true.
Dr. Charles Lutz, DDS, and his wife Pat operate Gentle Dental Care in Madera. Shortly after Thanksgiving, they organized an essay contest at MHS to provide a free set of customized Invisalign braces to the student who submitted the best request. Invisalign gradually straightens misaligned teeth using transparent plastic worn over the teeth.
“Before we read the essays we sat down and prayed about it,” said Pat...