For many of our patients, the work required for their smile makeovers can be done in a short time. But for Bonnie, after a detailed consult, we knew that the extensive makeover she wanted would take serious time: it meant correcting mistakes made by previous dentists who had opted for cosmetic procedures alone to disguise deeper problems. Some of them had to do with her teeth, while others had to do with the structural misalignment of her jaws. So, although Bonnie looked good, covered up, the problems continued to get worse.
As Bonnie vividly put it, “One of my bottom teeth, that had been supporting a bridge, fractured; it had filled the gap from a missing tooth that my evil childhood dentist had pulled, and I had to have implants for those teeth. I went to another dentist and said that I was unhappy with my bottom teeth, which were crooked from years of adjusting to the missing tooth and my habit of stress-clenching my teeth. Of course I wanted to fix all the problems at once. His solution was to just put new veneers on my teeth to ‘make them look better.’ I knew I was done with him.”
Our consult revealed the truth: simply re-doing Bonnie’s earlier procedures without addressing the underlying structural problems would have not accomplished the desired results. But there was no way the extensive procedures could be done in quick time. We drew up a comprehensive treatment plan that began with gradual repositioning of her jaws to correct her overbite—which can cause headaches, neck and facial pain, earaches and pain behind the eyes. In Bonnie’s case, it also caused her muscles to become overworked and fatigued.
Bonnie understood what was at stake, and eager to stay the course of what she called “a two-year adventure of orthodontic and complete restoration of my teeth.” Once her jaw was positioned correctly, we began the second phase of her makeover: a new implant to substitute for the original missing tooth, and the placing of new veneers and crowns throughout her mouth.
The results, as Bonnie tells it, were “top-notch from start to finish. Everyone at the office helped me get through the long-term treatment. Most importantly, the end result is fabulous! The shape of the teeth, the color; everything about them is wonderful. I literally haven’t stopped smiling since I walked out of Dr. Tabib’s office!”
To be honest, it was a dramatic improvement, and all of us were thrilled to have been able to give Bonnie the smile she had been hoping for. It’s what makes our work so satisfying, and what sometimes makes taking extra time to do it the best way to keep our patients smiling.
To learn more about Bonnie’s makeover and how you can benefit from some of the procedures she opted for, see our Web site for photos and details.
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