Marine Corps veteran Arturo Gamboa can't stop smiling.
It wasn't always like this. For most of his life, the 65-year-old Gamboa grinded his teeth, and because the former corporal lacked dental insurance, he figured nothing could be done to fix his worn-down and cracked teeth. Then he discovered Everyone for Veterans, a nonprofit that connects eligible military veterans and their spouses to dentists in their communities for free oral care.
"One of my sons used to make fun of me, because my teeth were so worn out," Gamboa, who lives near Denver, told Military.com. "They were so little, especially the front ones, but he laughed and said, 'I can't give you shit about that anymore.' They look great."
Everyone for Veterans (or E4V) was founded in 2017 by Theresa Cheng, now a retired periodontist in Washington state. Cheng's advocacy for this cause actually dates back to 2008, when she read about a severely wounded veteran whose mother quit her job to help care for them.
Cheng began by holding free dental days for military caregivers. Once she realized that not all veterans receive dental benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs, she expanded the service to eligible service members.
To meet E4V’s threshold for care, a veteran must have served for at least two years, be honorably discharged, show proof of a financial hardship and be less than 100% service-connected disabled. Along with filling out the application form, a veteran also must submit their DD214 paperwork, a VA disability award letter from this year (even if they are rated at 0%) and, if a veteran's spouse is applying, a marriage certificate.
If accepted, the process of linking a veteran to a dentist in their area begins. E4V does not handle urgent dental cases, but it can help address bridges, crowns, dentures, fillings, implants and root canals, et al. Since 2008, nearly 900 veterans and their spouses have had their oral issues through the efforts of Cheng and then E4V.
In all, 654 dentists nationwide have volunteered with E4V, the organization's data shows.
Cheng, who sold her practice in 2014, told Military.com that many former service members who turn to E4V are like Gamboa and either can't afford dental insurance or have little coverage.
"They couldn't even buy a dental insurance plan from the VA, and they could not afford to take care of their mouth," Cheng said. "They may just take care of that tooth that hurts, then they pay whatever the difference is with their insurance for that extraction. From a dental perspective, that doesn't provide them with good oral care. They still had other infections in their mouths.
"That was the thing that I would find so discouraging. They're never able to take care of their mouth completely."
More than 1.9 million vets are eligible for comprehensive dental care through the VA, with more than 750,000 of them, or nearly 40%, receiving treatment through a VA dental clinic or community care services, the department told Military.com. More than 147,000 vets are enrolled through the VA Dental Insurance Program, which provides discounted private dental insurance for eligible veterans and their family members.
With two in five veterans considering the state of their oral health as fair or poor, the issue of veterans being plagued by dental problems is not new -- and it doesn’t appear to be going away.
"We really show them the love of the community," Cheng said. "This is what veterans are telling me. … I really believe that [we] emotionally and mentally really help them with, 'I'm not forgotten in my community, and there's hope with humanity.' It's not just taking care of their teeth. It's really a bigger thing than that."
Because of an influx of applications that must be vetted and a limited network of volunteer dentists -- there might not be one near where a veteran lives, for example -- vets who turn to E4V should prepare for a potentially long wait. While Cheng said the average time it takes to connect a vet to a dentist is a few months, the organization's website warns that lag could run for two years.
Gamboa, who had his teeth fixed in May and June, said it took about a year before he saw a dentist.
"They did a great job, there's no doubt about it," Gamboa said. "... I've never been too big about looks, but I look good with my teeth, I'll tell you."
Veterans can mail their application to Everyone for Veterans, P.O. Box 1081, Issaquah, Wash. 98027-004181, or email it to info@everyoneforveterans.org. Any dentists interested in volunteering can do so on the organization's website.
Want to Know More About the Military?
Be sure to get the latest news about the U.S. military, as well as critical info about how to join and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox.
