Current Events > Gov. Kristi Noem (R) couldn't find a good dentist in South Dakota apparently

(+) Yeah! (+)

A Democratic legislator on Wednesday called for an inquiry into South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noems trip to Texas for dental work and a promotional video in which she praises the doctors for giving her a smile I can be proud of and confident in.

State Sen. Reynold Nesiba said he initially found the nearly five-minute video to be simply odd. Later he considered other questions and asked the Republican co-chairs of the Legislatures Government Operations & Audit Committee to put the matter on the panels next meeting agenda in July for discussion and questions.

I just thought it was a very strange video about how much she enjoyed having her teeth done at that particular place, said Nesiba, a member of the audit committee.

Nesiba said he wonders whether Noem used a state airplane or public funds for the Texas trip and whether the governor paid for the dental procedure or if it was discounted because of her video.

Noems office did not respond to questions Wednesday about the promotional video posted Monday night to her personal account on X in which she praised the dentists and staff at Smile Texas, a cosmetic dental practice in the Houston area.

In the video, Noem complimented the dentists that recently gave me a smile I can be proud of and confident in. Noem, who is seen as a potential vice-presidential pick by former President Donald Trump, identifies herself as the governor of South Dakota and includes clips of her speaking at a Republican Party event with Trump signs in the background.

A woman who answered the phone at Smile Texas cited privacy under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in response to The Associated Press asking to speak with a member of the practice. When asked if Smile Texas plans to use Noems video for promotion, the woman said, No, she posted that, then hung up when asked again.

South Dakota law bans gifts of over $100 from lobbyists to public officials and their immediate family. A violation is a misdemeanor punishable up to a year in jail and/or a $2,000 fine. The state attorney generals office declined to answer questions about whether the gift ban applies to people who are not registered lobbyists.

Noems video, in which the governor says she went to Smile because it was the best, comes at a time when South Dakota has spent $5 million on a workforce recruitment ad campaign in which she stars in TV spots portraying herself as a plumber, electrician, nurse and other high-demand workers. In one ad, Noem portrays a dentist in blue scrubs, speaking over a patient with a dental instrument in her hand amid the sound of a drill.

Nesiba said the dental promotion just undermines the millions of dollars that we have invested in her as being a spokesperson for South Dakota.

Paul Miskimins, a Republican former state legislator who practiced dentistry over 37 years in South Dakota, said he saw nothing wrong with Noem seeking care out of state, noting he had sought dental care from a friend in Canada. Miskimins added that celebrities often give testimonials about dental work, and he didnt see why a public official couldnt do the same.

I work for a dental insurance company and some of the states we cover are so hard to find a dentist in. Texas is easily the best state out of the ones we cover as far as availability.

REPUBLlCANS!!!!!
AUUUUGH!!!

REPUBLlCANS!!!!!
AUUUUGH!!!

I know that I wont get a real serious reply but why are you the way you are? What happened?

If God wanted her to have a nice smile, He would have given her better teeth. She herself has told us God doesnt make mistakes.

If God wanted her to have a nice smile, He would have given her better teeth. She herself has told us God doesnt make mistakes.

I know that I wont get a real serious reply but why are you the way you are? What happened?

If God wanted her to have a nice smile, He would have given her better teeth. She herself has told us God doesnt make mistakes.

I mean, good burn, except...God did. Her teeth were fine. But then she got into a biking accident when out with her kids.

If God wanted her to have a nice smile, He would have given her better teeth. She herself has told us God doesnt make mistakes.

If God wanted her to have better teeth he wouldnt have caused her biking accident in the first place.

It was Gods will that she smash her teeth in an accident. Is Gods plan not good enough for her or something? Plus, you dont have to fly halfway across the country to get your teeth fixed when you have perfectly good boot straps at home.

Complete disgrace, tbqh.

The way people like her would view this is that God wanted her to go to them to get her teeth done.

If God wanted her to have a nice smile, He would have given her better teeth. She herself has told us God doesnt make mistakes.

God invented doctors, but only for certain procedures

No, no, only for procedures for certain people.