The other day I was treating a nervous patient, who hadn’t been to see a dentist in many years, due to a bad experience as a child. But now they felt, they had lost their confidence, because in all their photos, they didn’t smile.

Today of digital photography, selfies, personal image is making more of an impact in our daily lives. We are exercising, dieting, and trying to lead a healthier lifestyle more than ever before.

 

Every other advert we see, promotes this. So, we all aspire to have that perfect image. But we are all not perfect.

I get young patients asking for veneers, so they can have that “Hollywood smile”. I get requests to do Botox(™) to prevent wrinkles.  But once I explain the pros and cons, and the life-long maintenance required. I find that many either revise their decision, or go for a more conservative approach, such as tooth whitening, or braces; Instead of full porcelain veneers. I try to make them see what they already have and point out the best parts of their smile/ face and how we can enhance rather than change.

So when they leave, I often get told “thank you for your honesty and making me feel good about myself”.

So hopefully I have laid a foundation for a long-term professional relationship.

Thank you for reading

Roma