RIVERSIDE, MO (KSHB/CNN) - Two veterans are going to have something to smile about very soon. They're in the process of receiving a free dental makeover.
It was all grins Tuesday at Briarcliff Dental Care where Charles Thompson and Kevin Sprague are undergoing their transformations. In less than two months, they will be walking out the doors with a brand-new look.
"I was so excited, and I'm still excited," said Thompson, a U.S. Army veteran.
Both men served their country for four years. Dr. Michael Arnett said it was time someone gave back to them.
"It's really helping these people who otherwise, they were looking at a mountain," Arnett said.
It hasn't been smooth sailing for Sprague, who served in the Marine Corps.
"I had two in-service dental injuries," he said. "I knocked my front teeth out; a pair of pliers got away working on an engine one afternoon and knocked my four front teeth out."
An extraction tool broke while his wisdom teeth were being removed years later, and it's been lodged in his face for 30 years, he said.
"They were trying to extract my wisdom teeth and they busted off the extraction tool and it lay lodged in my face for about 30 years."
Thompson suffers from degenerative bone disease and lost all of his teeth. He wears dentures and needs new ones.
"They don't fit anymore, and they hurt me so bad," he said.
Three weeks ago, they met with Arnett to formulate a game plan. From start to finish, it's a challenging road ahead.
"We have to replace teeth, we have to fix broken teeth, we have to do root canals, and we have to pull some teeth," Arnett said.
Once the veterans receive their fresh new smiles, the first thing they said they're going to do is go out for a big steak dinner. Both have trouble when it comes to eating.
"Can't eat with them, can't eat without them," Thompson said of his dentures.
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