When you're smiling ...

After years of hiding behind a beard, Dan Grimes is all smiles thanks to a dedicated team of medical professionals and an oral surgeon who donated his services when an insurance company said "no."

Grimes, 51, is in the final stages of recovery after surgery for a skeletal deformity which cost him most of his teeth and made eating and conversation nearly impossible.

His dentist, Dr. Richard Dragon of Gardnerville, referred Grimes to Dr. Edward Gray at Carson Valley Oral Surgery.

The diagnosis: Severe maxillary hypoplasia with mandibular prognathism. When Grimes closed his mouth, his jaws were not aligned and his teeth did not touch in a balanced manner.

Unless the condition was corrected, dentures wouldn't work.

For more than two years, Gray's office sent photographs and X-rays of Grimes' condition to his insurance company, but Hometown Health rejected the claim because orthognathic surgery is not a covered benefit.

Grimes, who lives with his wife Mary and their 3-year-old granddaughter Madison in Topaz Ranch Estates, couldn't afford to pay for the surgery, so Gray approached Jerry Conley, chief executive officer at Carson Valley Medical Center about completing the procedure on a pro bono basis.

"I see too many patients who have problems similar to Mr. Grimes and, again, their insurance companies won't pay," Gray said. "We've tried working with insurance companies to help them understand that these are functional deformities that I am correcting. After knocking heads against a wall for a few years, it became obvious to me that they really don't care.

"If someone like Mr. Grimes has a significant skeletal deformity, he looks better after the surgery. But the purpose is to correct the deformity with which he had to live most of his life."

Gray met with the administration at Carson Valley Medical Center for several months to explain the surgery and how it would benefit Grimes.

"Everyone agreed to do these procedures for far less than their normal charges," Gray said.

Even with reduced fees, a full facial reconstruction would cost $20,000 for two surgeons and anesthesia.

Anesthesiologist Dr. Selwyn Lee donated his services and Dr. Daniel Muff came from Reno to assist Gray with the lengthy procedure on Sept. 26 which was a success.

"God bless Dr. Gray and all these other people," Grimes said. "We are so blessed. I can't believe somebody went to bat for us."

Gray said he hopes the Nevada Legislature will take on the insurance issue that would would require coverage facial reconstruction of deformities.

"Facial reconstruction is something that I love to do. My dream - if I could have anything I wanted - I would love to have a foundation for people with facial deformities," he said.

Rather than wait, Gray said Carson Valley Medical Center has agreed to provide one pro bono surgery per year. He already selected his case for this year.

"I can't say enough about Carson Valley Medical Center," he said. "They are very community-oriented. I don't think people here realize what they have in their own back yard. They are a wonderful hospital and are willing to try and make this work."

As he recovers from the surgery, Grimes has shed his beard and catches himself taking a second glance at the mirror.

"It's really boosted my self-esteem. I had confidence, but I've got a lot more than I had before. I used the beard like a mask," Grimes said. "A lot more women are smiling at me than normal."

Gray backed up Grimes' experiences.

"There is no way someone with a facial deformity is going to have the same economic opportunities as someone with a pleasant-looking face. It's unfortunate, but it's reality.

"Mr. Grimes is an extremely pleasant gentleman; now he looks like the person who he is inside," Gray said.

Mary Grimes said after the 5-hour surgery, even though his face was swollen and bandaged, she could see a difference in her husband of 33 years..

"The first time I saw him after surgery, I almost fainted even though he was all swollen." she said.

"The women in Dr. Gray's office, I had to beat them off with a stick," she laughed. "I got a new man."

Grimes is learning to eat again.

For years he ate junk - by his own admission - and lived on chicken and rice. He had two teeth to chew with.

Grimes still dreams of the day when he can enjoy an all-you-can-eat lobster and steak buffet.

"I'm doing really good with toast, Hamburger Helper, and pasta. There will be no steak or lobster for a couple more months," he said, smiling broadly.