A Smile Tells a Story...

Pictures like the one on the right make me smile. Not because I was the dentist who did the dentistry, but because it reminds me about the epic journey that this wonderful patient has been on over the last 2 months.

This smile tells a story.

My patient (let's call him James), came to see me earlier this year. James was extremely nervous about even coming in to see me. He hadn't seen a dentist in years and was ashamed by his smile, so much so that the first few times I asked him to smile to take these photos, his facial expression was more akin to a grimace. He told me his sons birthday was coming up soon and he wanted to be able to smile in the pictures. Between the picture on the left and the one on the right, James has been practising smiling in front of the mirror - now when he smiles, he looks like a completely different person because he smiles with eyes and not just his mouth.

Over 7 appointments, James has gone from a man who was terrified about having dental treatment to a man who walks confidently into the surgery and is taking much better care of his mouth and his smile. He has had some treatment for his gums (which is on-going and he is working very hard at improving), 3 teeth out, some white fillings to reshape his front teeth and a partial denture to restore the gaps at the top. The second picture is him trying in his new denture for the first time and he was absolutely thrilled with the result we have been able to achieve!

I want to thank James for letting me use these photos on my website. He is living proof that dentistry doesn't have to be complex or scary in order to get results that will change your life. For me the most satisfying cases are the one's where a patient works with me to produce a result like this that actually makes a difference. Most of what has been achieved here has been the result of James' commitment to his treatment and willingness to trust me and I am so very proud of how far he has come.