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Second Chance Smiles playing important role in recovery

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Second Chance Smiles is currently an unincorporated association that is working on being able to become a 501c3. Amanda Burke and husband Tom started Second Chance Smiles in 2023. Amanda says she noticed the great need for dentures. She is a denture wearer of almost 14 years and says she couldn’t imagine “what my life would be like” if she couldn’t smile or had to be afraid to talk to someone because of being ashamed of self-conscious of her appearance. Dentures made it possible for her to be able to eat and smile whenever she wanted. “My heart ached for those who couldn’t afford to have them made, especially those who are in recovery,” said Amanda. “They’re trying to get a second chance at life with no association of their old lifestyle. A lack of smile holds someone back. It always feels like someone out there judges someone based of their looks and usually it’s by someone’s lack of teeth. It makes me sad that no matter how transformed a person is on the inside they tend to be judged on the outward appearance.  I would catch myself praying for ways that I could be a vessel to completely change someone’s appearance who has been trying so hard to be brand new on the outside and it hit me when my bottom dentures kept breaking. I found a DIY denture kit (Denturi) online and thought that I would give it a try because it was a cheaper alternative to having to pay to go to the dentist. It worked,”  Amanda said. From that moment she knew she wanted to help anyone who struggled with not being able to have a smile. She wanted to give someone that confidence boost they deserved. Everyone deserves to be able to smile and not be judged. She is able to afford to buy things to make the dentures in bulk thanks to her cousin, Alaina, a lady that lives in Lebanon named Michelle, and Whetstone Vet Clinic in Mountain Grove. Between the three donations, they have enough to make 20 more full sets of dentures aside from the two already made that was given to her by Denturi. This ministry is strictly peer funded. She shared her Amazon wish list and the rest is history. Right now it’s just Amanda making the dentures and her husband, Tom Burke, who is also her partner in this ministry. Second Chance Smiles is aimed toward the recovery community and the low-income community. Dentures are expensive and they wanted to be able to bring people something, even if it’s not a permanent solution, to make them want to smile again. If someone needs help, they can reach out to Amanda on Facebook (Second Chance Smiles),send an email to 2ndchancesmiles1530@gmail.com, or call her. Amanda says she learned to make denture  by watching countless videos and making a set of dentures for herself. “It is such an amazing time we live in to have a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips and thanks be to God for the ability to be able to do just about anything I put my mind to,” said Amanda Burke. “I like to give the recipients a settling in period before I follow up, but I leave them with my business card with my number that has dental care directions on the back as well. I tell them before we part ways to feel free to reach out anytime if they feel like they need anything from adjustments to advice.”

Second Chance Smiles is not currently backed by a dentist, but they are in search of a dentist to partner with them to do checkups and after care. “That is a very important step in this process. Just because someone has dentures doesn’t mean they are no longer in need of a dentist. God created smiles to be able to express our happiness. I am just being used as a vessel to help reconstruct what someone has lost for whatever the reason,” Burke said. This ministry has made it possible for someone to outwardly express themselves in a manner they couldn’t do with confidence in a long time.

If you would like to help the Burke’s keep Second Chance Smiles going, you can reach out to the via their facebook page @secondchancesmiles, or email 2ndchancesmiles1530@gmail.com

All the statistics in the world can’t measure the warmth of a smile.