360° Perfection

Special feature: the cosmetic side of dentistry

360° perfection: the future of dentistry It’s time to expand your menu of services and skills so patients can experience the miracle of the makeover, says Tracey Bell

Patient: Kate Age: 26 Background: Mother of one, a very attractive girl who had never been able to smile, resulting in low self-esteem and a lack of confidence Dental treatment: • Teeth were discoloured and misshapen (see before images below) • First four appointments were periodontal treatments • Disclosure of plaque and education • 12 Procera crowns (www.nobelbiocare.com) and a bridge unit • Full upper arch makeover to restore a brilliant white smile • Bleaching trays for bottom arch • Gum re-contouring • Two initial appointments, first one for study models and diagnostic wax- ups • Preparation and temporaries fitted to assess length, shape and golden proportion • Three weeks later, back into surgery, the temps were taken off and the individual crowns were cemented on and shaped • Dental hygiene education and programme for patient to follow.

When I first met Kate, she was petrified of the dentist. She had visited the family NHS dentist all her life and thought that it was normal for her fillings to drop out and to suffer toothache regularly. She was shy, 13.5 stones and never smiled. Kate was well dressed, well groomed and well educated; she had a designer handbag but her teeth were awful.

Kate’s teeth and smile had always been (as Kate thought) her worst attribute. Whenever she was with friends, family or work colleagues she would enjoy herself and try not to be self-conscious about her grey teeth, but she never really let go. Even when playing and talking with her twoand-half-year-old daughter, she was extremely self-conscious.

Kate is a very beautiful girl with potential model qualities: tall, great skin and dark hair, but whenever she was in a situation where she was asked to smile, or she was close enough to be scrutinised, her confidence would take a big dip. People used to tell Kate that she could be a model and she was very photogenic, however Kate felt differently. As much as people would tell her not to worry about it, her mouth bothered her deeply. However, she lacked dental education. She expected to lose her teeth before 30, her dentist had informed her that she was just ’born’ with bad teeth and due to the fear of accepting dentures, her own grey teeth were better than none.

A miraculous makeover Kate’s transformation was quite 98

Private Dentistry July/August 2008

remarkable. I began by engaging with her and listening. I feel as a professional dental and facial practitioner it is so important to educate the mindset of your patients and get into their heads. You then begin to understand what their perceptions are and what has become normal for them to think. If you listen and even give a little bit of yourself to someone, they open up like a book.

The first part of Kate’s treatment was stripped right back to the basics, oral health education and disclosing her teeth and showing her all of the plaque and build up. She was horrified and embarrassed after that initial appointment; she never attended with plaque again. In her opinion, because her mum had bad teeth and had lost them at an early age, Kate expected the same outcome for herself; her expectations were low from the outset.

Even with her temporaries in, the confidence started to shine through.

When she first saw them in the mirror she cried. She had never imagined that she would be able to have a perfect smile. Once her smile makeover was complete, it was like watching a

The results of Kate’s dramatic transformation 100

butterfly emerge from a pupa. Kate positively glowed.

Communication I didn’t judge Kate when we first met; I educated her about lifestyle and oral hygiene and engaged with her.

Through this, I was able to transform her opinion about what was possible in terms of her smile. Visit after visit I saw her self-confidence and her faith in the clinic and me grow; because of this Kate was able to make a big investment in her teeth. In basic terms, I knew that Kate would spend money on a designer handbag because of its perceived value to her. In the same way she bought into my services; when we physically part with money for what we want, it has a real value to us. With pricing in dentistry I always tell patients from the outset that we have a fair but firm price. We promise results and this is a great marketing tool that I have used to educate my staff and patients.

It is my philosophy that the teeth are the internal scaffolding of the face and that by changing them, you can alter the facial anatomy. This then gives you the best platform to work from when achieving 360° rejuvenation. At Age Perfecting Treatments, it is my aim to educate people and give them choices about 360° rejuvenation with dental, non-surgical, lasers and spa procedures all under one roof. My patient’s journey is recorded with photographs so they can see the evidence-based results as they journey through the combination of treatments.

to this, Kate underwent IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatment to remove photo damage and improve the texture and tone of her skin, and a skin care programme from my chirally correct SkinScription range. Transformation of Kate was complete (see below).

Kate’s before and after photos are truly amazing. Whenever I look at them, they move me. It is the epitome of the ugly duckling tale, where the negativity that Kate felt and uncertainty in her self-esteem affected her whole outlook on life. Kate is a patient for life now; whenever I see her she always carries floss and TP brushes and comes for regular hygiene and dental check ups.

Invest in people My advice to colleagues would be to resist the assumption that the only people who will invest in cosmetic dentistry are the As and Bs of this world. Giving a bit of your time to someone, listening to them, changing their perception and building their confidence is an investment in them, which could be very worthwhile.

Kate feels like her life has changed for the better and feels more assertive and happier. At the tender age of 27 she has turned in to a swan. The best thing about this is not the money but her gratitude: ‘I will be forever grateful to you Dr Bell. You have changed my life - thank you.’

Leaving a lasting impression is something I will always strive to achieve. In life, give a little and I promise you will have vast returns, complete job satisfaction and sleep easy in your bed at night. PD

Complementary programmes

Comments to pd@fmc.co.uk

It was after the transformation of her teeth that another transformation began. As well as the smile creation programme, Kate was put on a customised weight management programme to help her get back to her prepregnancy weight and shape, a combination of nutrition and Power Plate. In addition

Tracey Bell graduated in 1993 from Manchester University. She owns Age Perfecting Treatments; practices and a retail outlet on the Isle of Man, offering cosmetic dentistry, non-surgical facial aesthetics, eg. Botox, fillers, lip augmentation, lasers and her own line of beauty products. Her professional interests include cosmetic dentistry and aesthetic medicine.

Private Dentistry July/August 2008