It may have taken him hours in the hot seat, months of healing, and years of pain, but Miller Johnson sure is glad he's sitting in the dentist's chair again.

"It's life-changing," Johnson said.

The 42-year-old Sherman resident signed up for the Navy after 9/11 and served for a couple of years on a ship stationed near Iraq. But when Johnson returned home, he realized he didn't really have one.

"At some point," Johnson recalled. "I got to the age where I realized I don't have a home, never have had a home."

Dental issues and homelessness collide

Plus, his mouth was in bad shape.

"It was an actual, sincere health problem for me," Johnson explained.

Broken teeth, missing teeth, abscesses, cavities — Johnson had it all. But he didn't have any money to fix his mouth, let alone a bed to sleep in.

"You start looking at the root canals and the price of a root canal for every tooth," Johnson said. "Like, 'Oh, I guess it's not happening this year.'"

Help arrives after two decades

It didn't happen for another 20-odd years — until Johnson met Dr. Fatimah Waseem.

"Very nervous, very scared," Dr. Waseem said of Johnson on their first visit. "He was very ashamed to even talk."

Luckily enough, Johnson qualified for Aspen Dental's Healthy Mouth Movement, which provides free dental care for vets, among other people.

"There are a lot of veterans that come in that don't have access to the proper dental care," Dr. Waseem explained.

A new smile, a new life

The two decided to pull all of Johnson's teeth and give him a brand-new smile with dentures.

"He has completely transformed as a patient," Dr. Waseem said. "He is talkative, he just seems lighter, he seems brand new. It's a second chance for him."

Johnson couldn't agree more.

"They covered me in a way that I don't even think they can understand," he said.

Building a future with family

Now, with three kids and a family, Johnson wants to work on other parts of his health.

"I did find that home that I was looking for," Johnson said. "I'm fighting to take care of it."

And that starts with his teeth.

"Getting my teeth taken care of may have saved my life."