Having always been self-conscious about my own smile, I think it always made me more aware of a beautiful smile when I saw one. I had taken tetracycline for years, which darkened my teeth and not even bleaching could lighten them. I had worn off the enamel on the front of my teeth, trying to get that perfectly white smile, not realizing at the time the damage that I was doing. I had to have fillings to fill in the eroded areas. To top everything off, my teeth were lopsided. They were longer on one side than the other and I had chipped off the tip of the shorter side to make it even more exaggerated.
I hated my smile. My sister had a lovely smile and I always admired the way she looked when that grin would pop out. But, I always had to be careful. I didn’t want to smile too big, for then, the eroded area would show. Now, perhaps because I’m a flight attendant, smiling constantly, I was even more painfully aware of how my teeth looked. I just thought that I had to learn to live with it and I used to practice smiling in front of the mirror so as not to make it too big!
One day, while having my teeth cleaned, the hygienist came in and was introduced to me. Sitting in the chair, fully reclined, all I could see was the flash of one of the most beautiful smiles I’d ever seen. I immediately commented on how lovely her smile was. That was when Dr. Bernie told me that it would be possible to correct some of the problems that I had with my teeth. After explaining what he could do, I immediately began to feel a sense of relief at not having to feel ashamed of the way my teeth looked.
Dr. Bernie did his work and it is like a miracle. I am elated with my new set of teeth! I flash my smile and am no longer ashamed or embarrassed by the way my teeth look. But also, because they look so natural, I don’t have to worry about people looking at me, and guessing that I have veneers. They can’t tell! Who would have ever thought that I could feel so good about the way I look? I have a beautiful smile now that I can take for granted. I don’t have to worry anymore about how I do it; I can just smile and feel happy, without having a niggling worry about how my teeth look. It is so nice to be able to enjoy things without having to think about my teeth!
I’m a flight attendant, and recently, I even had a passenger comment on my “beautiful” smile. It is wonderful to be noticed for my smile and I can only thank Dr. Bernie for that.
Chris S.
