Veteran with decaying teeth gets ‘life-changing’ makeover by Middleton dentist for free

MIDDLETON, Wis. (WMTV) - A disabled veteran has something to smile about after a transformative trip to the dentist.

She goes by the name Ribbon and, on TikTok, Anime Ribbon. To roughly 77,000 followers, Ribbon, who does not use her real name for safety reasons, discusses a range of topics from her service in active duty to her professions like cosplay and therapy.

Her teeth are another common topic.

“Right now my teeth are a cosmetic issue, and I have serious health issues from the injuries I sustained in the Army,” she said in one video. In another video she told users, “Hopefully, you’ll think twice before leaving a rude comment.”

Her teeth have decayed, the Texas content creator said, following a treatment to chemical exposure from the military. “I worked on chemical equipment,” she said. “Exposure to it from inhaling it and everything took a toll inside of my body.”

By July, Dr. April Tressler had seen her story, and by September the social media star was sitting side by side with the dentist in Middleton, a thousand miles away from home.

Tressler, who owns Distinctive Dental Implants, said, “It makes me sad because I know what she’s going through. I’ve seen this, and I know that a smile would make a big difference.”

After watching Ribbon’s videos, Tressler says she reached out with a message. “I’ve never done anything like that before,” the dentist said. She was reacting to one video in particular, with the caption, “Unless you are a dentist offering me free implants or offering to pay for them to get fixed I really do not care about your opinion.”

Free implants are exactly what Dr. Tressler offered. A full teeth replacement procedure can cost upwards of $60,000, the dentist said.

“I’ve always wanted to do something like this, like always wanted to,” she said. Prior to opening her own office in April, Tressler explained she did not have the ability to offer a procedure for free. “If you’ve ever worked with me, you’ve heard me say it, that if I ever won the billion dollar lottery, and I could pay off all my student loans and business loans and everything else, I would do it for free. I love this job. I love what I do.”

Meanwhile Ribbon had called to confirm that the offer was legitimate. “I was so overjoyed I cried for like 15 minutes after getting off the phone because I’ve dealt with this for so long now,” she told NBC15.

In early September, Ribbon flew to southern Wisconsin for the procedure. “I am eternally grateful,” she told her followers.

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