A chance meeting at the gym gave a veteran something to smile about for a lifetime. It all started when retired Air Force Staff Sergeant David Tyler Harmon met Houston dentist Dr. David Nguyen during a workout.
David booked an appointment with him for a teeth cleaning – but when it was time for the exam, Dr. Nguyen took one look at David’s teeth and realized he needed a lot more than a cleaning. Seems David, who had suffered head trauma during multiple tours of duty, was in a lot of pain, which Dr. Nguyen attributed to an infection in his gums and a lot of cracked and crooked teeth, among other issues. The cost to fix those problems was about $15,000.
"I overheard him saying something about sending the paperwork to the VA," said Dr. Nguyen. "I was like, 'Wait, if he were to wait for the VA, it would take months.'"
Dr. Nguyen knew that because of the infection, things needed to be taken care of right away. That's when he stepped up and offered to do all of David’s dental work free of charge. An overwhelmed David broke down into tears.
Dr. Nguyen is not only taking care of David's treatment – which could take up to a year – for free ... he's also doing his teenage daughter's dental work free of charge.
"All veterans are heroes," said Dr. Nguyen. "They give up so much for this country, and whatever I can do just to help him out a little bit, it's all worth it to me."