Tacony-Palmyra Bridge car accident ends with Philadelphia man receiving new set of teeth
By Web Staff
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PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — For most people, a car accident is one of the worst days of their life, but not for one Philadelphia man. In this case, it was one of his best days and it will end with him receiving a new set of teeth.
No one was hurt in the crash, but when the victim noticed the man who hit her had hardly any teeth, she was compelled to help him. Now, her act of kindness is spreading smiles — in more ways than one.
Gregory Cuta doesn’t like the dentist.
“It was one bad dentist after another,” Cuta said.
He says decades of bad dentistry have left him with only a few teeth, and a serious lack of self-confidence.
“My ex-wife told me not to smile at the wedding and it was embarrassing,” he said.
Last Tuesday, when Cuta was crossing the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, he says he hit a patch of black ice and rear-ended the car in front of him. Little did he know, it would be the luckiest accident of his life.
“I hit the right person at the right time,” Cuta said.
“He’s just like, ‘I’m sorry, it was an accident.’ I just thought that was so cool of him,” Cecilly Rudalavage said.
On the receiving end was Rudalavage, who just happens to be a dental implant sales rep.
“I’m just going to feel really good that I was put in the opportunity to help him,” Rudalavage said.
Rudalavage reached out to her employer, Ditron Dental USA, who was happy to cover the costs of the components. But, they still needed a surgeon willing to perform the complicated and pricey procedure.
“I suppose I’m known for doing a lot of pro bono work,” Dr. Simon Oh said.
Enter Oh, one of the few implant surgeons in the Philadelphia area able to perform such a surgery and willing to do it for free.
“This gentleman couldn’t even wear dentures because he doesn’t have any sort of upper jaw bone at all,” Oh said. “For those patients, I really, really get a lot of fulfillment out of getting them back to where they used to be, build that confidence back up and really get the most out of life that they can.”
Cuta says this surgery will be life-changing on so many levels and he’s just thankful to those who made it happen.
“I believe in karma. If there was more people like me and Cecily and Dr. Oh, the world would be a better place,” Cuta said.
When Cuta gets his new teeth, he says he’s most looking forward to applying for jobs and enjoying a nice juicy steak. He’s scheduled to have his implant surgery in the coming weeks.
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