Roy Jaroudi has found his fit in the Cariboo, and now he wants to help fit others with the best smile he can.
The denturist is once again opening up nominations for deserving people in need of new dentures.
His Smiles for Christmas giveaway has been going on for four years now. The contest is open in both communities where he has offices, Williams Lake and 100 Mile House, for people to nominate someone in need of a first set or replacement dentures.
Jaroudi came up with the idea during COVID lockdown, when he felt like morale was low for people.
“I figured something nice to kind of uplift people, give back to the community, make people feel good,” he explained of his goals for the giveaway.
The contest is open now, and people can submit their forms digitally by scanning a QR code in his ad in the Tribune or pick up a form at his office or the Tribune. The deadline to apply is Dec. 15.
Treatment on the winner would begin in January. The winner is notified privately and they can then choose to share their new smile and story or keep it anonymous.
Jaroudi said he gets between 60 and 80 nominations each year.
“A lot of people nominate the same person, which is highly encouraged,” said Jaroudi. When they hear from a lot of people then it shows people really want this person to have a smile.
“That’s what we try to do, find somebody that really, really deserves it.”
For this reason, Jaroudi said write ups are encouraged, so they can hear the story behind the nomination.
In the few years of the contest, Jaroudi said the first person they gave a new smile to was so far the most special. The winner had been getting by with 50-year-old dentures which no longer worked well.
The result made for a big change which really helped her.
The denturist came to his profession thanks to his brother, who is also a denturist, and said the career was not something he knew a lot about to begin with, but as he has gotten to know how it works, he has fallen in love with the job.
“It’s sort of an artsy, creative career but then also health care and giving back to people,” he said, noting there are no two mouths exactly the same.
This means each denture has to be carefully fitted and set by hand.
“It’s almost like a blank jigsaw puzzle that you have to kind of figure out how to put together,” he said.
They work with wax, plaster and stone to mold the dentures to fit the person’s mouth and give them a natural-looking set of teeth which also allow the person to eat and talk and chew properly.
Jaroudi said everyone has their own individual touches and he likes to use natural-looking teeth and add little subtleties to look more natural and shape them to the person’s face and mouth.
He came to the Cariboo because he was looking for an opportunity of his own after working with his brother in Kamloops and he heard about a couple who had a practice in Williams Lake and were looking to retire.
Jaroudi said the denturist and his wife took him in like a son and made him an “offer he couldn’t refuse” and so he took it.
“It actually turned out to be a perfect fit because I love the outdoors,” he said, listing off the many activities he enjoys in the area, including snowboarding, camping, ATVing, and more.
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