Selecting a deserving candidate among all the great applicants that the contest
generated was a challenge. How could we choose one when there were so many
candidates in need of a makeover and whose life stories were so compelling. To make
the choice easier we solicited the help of social media. The final three contestants
each made their case to the public for support. Terri Baker prevailed as the winner
of the Ultimate Smile Makeover Contest.
At a young age Terri was a model in
California doing mostly lipstick ads when
she once had beautiful teeth and a
contagious smile. But that was taken
away from her when in January of 2000
she had a near death car accident
in which she was thrown through the
windshield and pinned by her truck
which primarily rested upon her face.
She was found by a raccoon hunter and
airlifted to the hospital where she was
not expected to live. With every bone in
her face broken, the doctors performed
reconstructive surgery replacing most
of her facial bones with titanium plates.
Consequently, she lost most of her teeth
and had to have both her upper and
lower jaws reattached. With her life on
the line and the dire need to reconstruct
her face, her teeth were the last of
concern at the time. Until the makeover
Terri had been living with a “flipper”
she superglued in daily to replace her
missing front teeth. Additionally, the
accident left Terri with no back teeth
whatsoever. She was more than ready
for a new smile!
Hope came to Terri when her daughter
submitted an entry into the contest on
her behalf her. When she became one
of the three finalists, she didn’t get too
excited because she knew people had
to vote for her on Facebook to win. Terri
feared that a popularity contest would
hinder her chances. But she wasn’t going
down without a fight. She got everyone
she knew and everyone they knew to
vote for her. Before long, hundreds of
people were moved to vote for Terri,
much to her surprise, even people who
2000 - The night before her accident.
Continued on page 22
WomanToWomanMagazine.com 19