It’s not often that teenagers need dentures, but for Mihaley Schlegel (19) it’s been life-changing.

Mihaley, who was born with a rare genetic condition called osteogenesis imperfecta also known as brittle bone disease, has had 117 broken bones, 36 operations and multiple rod placements and replacements.

“I’ve had screw replacements in my knees and ankles, small procedures due to my broken back, and multiple bone grafts,” says the teen from Oklahoma in the US, where she works as a shop assistant.

The worst part of her condition has been her teeth. They’re nearly transparent and incredibly brittle.

“From the point I started getting teeth they were so brittle, they were almost completely see-through,” she said.

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Mihaley, said that she tried “hard” to love her teeth because she was aware of how expensive it would be to get them replaced.

“People would make a nasty face if I were to smile, they’d try to play if off sometimes, but it became more noticeable as I got older.”

At school, she was cruelly nicknamed “shark tooth”.   

By the time she was 14, her teeth became increasingly painful and she began looking for solutions.

“It was getting to the point where if the tooth would rot or break, my gums would get infected and I started getting sick.”

Even eating was becoming painfully difficult for her.

She was forced to live with the pain for five more years, as she couldn’t find an orthodontist who was willing to touch her teeth, because they feared breaking her fragile jaw. 

At the end of last year she found a team of specialists at Aspen Dental in Oklahoma City willing to take her as a patient.

Her parents helped her raise the $9 500 (R165 690) needed for the surgery and she used $500 (R8 720) from her college savings too. 

She underwent reconstructive surgery to remove all her teeth and fit her dentures.

When she woke up from surgery, she couldn’t contain her joy.

“It was like a dream come true,” she recalls. 

Mihaley still has a few operations ahead. She needs surgery to place two to four implants in her bottom jaw so her dentures can clip in place.

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Mihaley is loving her new teeth.

“There has been a significant shift in people’s reactions, in particular,” she says. “When I smile, no one makes a funny face or asks what’s wrong with my teeth.

“New teeth have benefited me in many ways. I can eat things that I couldn’t before and I can finally feel beautiful when I smile.”

SOURCES: NYPOST.COM NEEDTOKNOW.ONLINE TIKTOK.COM

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