Texas Softballer Aims for Gold on Diamond, Picks Up Pearly Whites Along the Way

By Nance Larsen

July 5, 2018

On a beautiful evening at a Shania Twain concert, Special Olympics Texas athlete Timothy Burnett, 31, danced under the stars with his girlfriend Jackie. The setting was romantic and the perfect stage for a proposal – and she said yes!

Fast forward to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games where Timothy is competing in softball and playing second base. A severely decayed front tooth, black from the root down, propelled him to visit the Healthy Athletes venue for a Healthy Smiles screening. An exam in the dentist chair confirmed that not only did Timothy need the decaying tooth extracted, but that extensive cleaning and fillings were needed to repair his smile to a healthy state.

The procedures would take several hours and need to be completed in between competition.  Day one included removing and replacing the infected tooth. Day two taking care of extensive cavities. The result? A beautiful and healthy smile! 

Timothy is thrilled with his new smile – literally grinning from ear-to-ear – and can’t wait to show Jackie. The couple are planning to take engagement photos as soon as he returns home. But first, Team Texas takes to the field in the gold medal round hoping to bring back some bling to go with Timothy’s new pearly whites.