As a young model, Julie Fedyk had a perennial smile on her face. But after she was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder called CMT, Fedyk lost her smile and her self-esteem.

"It's embarrassing,” said Fedyk. “I'm sorry I don't smile like I used to."

The Local Ten Care Force first met Fedyk in 2007. She lacked medical insurance and the money to restore her teeth and was hoping that a skilled dentist would offer to help.

Fedyk got double her wish when Dr. Jorge Blanco and Dr. Anthony Sclar volunteered to take on her case. Together, they determined Fedyk would benefit from dental implants.

"These doctors, everyone, they are unbelievable," said Fedyk.

On March 11, 2009, Fedyk underwent surgery.

"Are you ready?” asked Care Force reporter Mayte Padron.

"I am ready,” said Fedyk. “Put me out and see you later."

Fedyk waited almost two years for her surgery. The procedure took about two hours and involved extracting some of her teeth, but it would've taken longer if it weren't for state-of-the-art computer technology, courtesy of Nobel Biocare.

Several months before the surgery, two digital scans were taken of Fedyk, one with her wearing a denture-like material on her upper row of teeth and another of the appliance alone.

"When we take those two images and we put them in the computer, we marry the two together," said Donald Boyd of Nobel Biocare.

"Then, once we've done that on the computer, then we're able to order a surgical template that would position the implants exactly where they are in the computer on the patient," added Boyd.

The final step involved Dr. Blanco taking an impression of Fedyk's mouth for a lab to make the teeth.

"After Dr. Sclar places the implants, we will literally take this whole unit and place them over the implants and then very gently tighten these little screws, and before you know it, she'll be smiling; that's the beauty of it," said Dr. Blanco.

For Fedyk, beauty is no longer a thing of the past. Less than one month after surgery, she visited Dr. Sclar's office thrilled with the results.

"When you see the patient and they see their teeth, that moment is the moment that we all work for," said Dr. Sclar.

The entire procedure, from the scans to the surgery, cost about $30,000. It was all absolutely free of charge for Fedyk, whose restored self-confidence is priceless.

"I have a mirror in my hallway and I turn and I stop and I look,” said Fedyk. “It's a good feeling."

The teeth Fedyk currently has are made of a plastic material. In about three months, Dr. Blanco will replace them with porcelain teeth, which will look even more life-like.