Visibly Awesome
Within my very first few months of treating patients with Invisalign, something happened that I’d never forget. I saw someone’s life change and I had a front row seat.
I think of Diana every single time we begin Invisalign Care. And there are numerous reasons.
Forget that I never really liked Orthodontics when I was a student and therefore never saw straightening teeth as part of my clinical future. But I’ll be the first guy to admit receiving orthodontic care changed my life. Back in The Day, I just didn’t see me on the giving side of the proposition.
I actually used to cover my mouth with my hand when I was speaking. If early patients didn’t have canine-type reception, hearing Bolton was easier for them than understanding me. So I started my practice here in Temple City as the expressive dentist equivalent of a flabby personal trainer or a food critic who counted catsup as a vegetable.
By the time Invisalign came along (Originally the work of two MBA candidates at Stanford) I was way more than seriously curious about all the new clinical advances in dentistry. The office was loaded with cameras and computers and lasers…and I still felt a little threatened by the dental engineering also known as Orthodontics. Finally, I figured if two non-DDS types had dreamed up the system, there might actually be something to it. I gained certification as soon as GPs became eligible for training.
I met Diana at a Pasadena Chamber breakfast. I love Chamber functions because the folks who attend are such dedicated networkers they don’t even run away screaming when you tell ’em you’re a dentist.
Diana won a free TCDC Zoom! Teeth Whitening in the raffle held at the end of every monthly breakfast. After a while, she made the drive down Baldwin and within an hour or so had a smile about 5 shades lighter. After folks visit us and walk away with whiter teeth I’m more likely emboldened to ask a few questions. One question is, “Do you have any other concerns about your smile?” This time the answer was, “I know darn well you’re looking at it.”
Diana had had great whitening results and everything was looking good…with the exception of one badly discolored upper front tooth that was also sticking out at an angle not much unlike Sarah Brightman taking a curtain call in front of the rest of the lined-up cast of The Phantom.
Diana helped head up a local non-profit, her children were all grown up, her family had always come first; you’ll never meet warmer person. On Zoom! Day, plus 10 minutes, Diana shared she’d hated that tooth for at least 40 years. She never smiled without posturing to hide the tooth, hated having her picture taken, and subconsciously screened her mouth from sight, using her hand as a prop. Hmmm, been there.
Diana had heard all about Orthodontics but didn’t want braces. “What if we straightened that tooth without using braces and matched colors by placing a porcelain veneer without removing more than about 0.5 millimeters of enamel? Would you be interested?”
“Can you do all the work here?”
“Would you prefer that?”
I still attend the monthly Pasadena Chamber breakfasts. The scrambled eggs continue to need some work; there are more chiropractors present than dentists in the state of Nebraska, and the guy who leads the meeting is an unapologetic bruin honk (poor devil.) And the whole experience is a total blast.
Especially when Diana delivers her 20-second commercial with a big, beautiful freely expressed smile.
