A traumatic fall can cause severe facial and dental injuries --taking years of recovery. In one such case, the full recovery was delayed more than a decade. Dr. Linda Niessen has the story in today's Dental Health Check.

For most of her life, Tricia Sapp loved to ride and show horses. But all that changed one fateful day 13 years ago.

"I was front loading, which is an absolute no-no in horses. And that means I wrapped the rope around my arm , climbed into the trailer, trying to pull a resistant horse into the trailer."

A fall injured her spinal cord, fractured her shoulder, broke her jaw and many teeth.

Tricia Sapp waited 13 years to correct the dental problems caused by her traumatic fall. All those years, she never gave up her dream of restoring her smile.

Dr. Mary Swift, Tricia's dentist, says, "The initial work was done basically on an emergency basis."

Over the past year, Dr. Swift directed a dental team that included an orthodontist and a periodondist. "I served as the team coordinator," said Dr. Swift. Braces corrected an overbite.  Bridges and porcelain veneers restored Tricia's smile and self esteem.

"Now I don't have to worry about which side of my face I smile from," said Tricia.

Tricia competes in softball, basketball, and downhill skiing. She was runner-up in the Miss Wheelchair Texas pageant.

"I would not change my life one bit," she added. The last 13 years, I have had absolutely the time of my life."

For Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A&M Health Science Center, I'm Dr. Linda Niessen, Channel 8 News.