This is a great story to tell this time of year, because it turns out once again “it wasn’t all about the teeth”…
It was a big day for Karen. At the age of 52, she was getting her braces off. The changes we had seen in her teeth over the past year were incredible. Then she said something I’ll never forget. When I asked her why she had never considered braces in the past, even though we treated her daughter, she said “at my age, I didn’t think I was worth it”.
Let’s rewind 12 months back.
We met Karen last December when Diane, our Director of First Impressions, asked me to stick around for a lunch consult. She said there was a husband and wife on their way to town and he wanted to give her braces for Christmas and that she wouldn’t know until she got here. It turns out that it was a lunch worth giving up, not only for Karen, but myself as well.
When they walked through the door, Karen was stunned to learn the appointment was for HER! We quickly learned from her husband, Dennis, that he began to notice more and more over the past years how she made comments about her smile and was subconsciously covering her mouth to avoid showing off her teeth. This was the motivation for his surprise gift.
Karen, like most of our Patients, was a joy to see every 6-8 weeks in the last year, and we completed her treatment a little faster than I had thought, and were able to give her a new smile for Christmas this year! The day she got her braces reminded me why I do what I do for a living. Through her tears of joy she shared that unforgettable statement of not feeling “worth it” at her age. I was stunned to hear those words. My immediate reaction was “of course, you are worth it”. Her husband, Dennis, knew it and gave her a gift that will last her a lifetime. The smile that floated around our office after she got out of the chair was a masterpiece.
We give every Patient the gift of a photo shoot at the completion of their treatment. We were so inspired by the photos that came back, we decided to feature Karen on January’s billboard. The message to our community will be to consider making not just a New Year’s resolution, but rather a life changing resolution.
Karen truly understands the power of a smile, and she was grateful to us (and her husband) for giving her the opportunity. I truly hope she knows how grateful we are, in return, for the gift of her story that she gave to us.
Are you ready to begin YOUR story? It all starts with a decision, followed by making that first appointment. Oh, and we won’t even charge for that initial visit! Go ahead, you are worth it.
