Work of Art: New Dentures, New Smile

Bernice Dargen

For more than 30 years, Bernice Dargen had no top teeth.

Without much time or money for dental care, she had them extracted when they began to decay years ago. As a result, eating was difficult for Dargen. Sometimes, when she laughed, she caught herself covering her mouth.

“I was embarrassed,” she says.

Earlier this year, she scheduled an appointment with Maksim Ndoj, a student who had practiced in Albania before enrolling in RSDM’s two-year Internationally Trained DMD program, which helps qualified dentists educated outside the U.S. and Canada earn dental degrees. After graduating, they are qualified to acquire a license, allowing them to practice in the U.S.

Known by other students for his prosthodontic artistry, Ndoj made a symmetrical, polished sent of dentures that were perfectly proportioned to Dargen’s face. They arrived just in time for Dargen’s family reunion, where she could show them off. “I think they look good,” she says with a grin.

Ndoj is proud to have crafted something that not only allows Dargen to eat her favorite foods again but has helped restore her confidence. “I like seeing people smile,” Ndoj says.