After years of leaving it on the back-burner, Oliver finally gave himself the gift that keeps on giving: A new smile!
10 upper teeth and 4 lower teeth later, Oliver now proudly shares his smile, whenever he can. He also discovered that his newly transformed smile helps him feel more confident, and also happier. He smiles more and can now carry on conversations without hiding his teeth.
Why did you decide to get your teeth fixed?
I had one front tooth that I broke playing baseball when I was 10 years old. And they did a root canal. It was dark. Every dentist I went to of course wanted to put a crown on it, but I was hesitant because the tooth was still good. But then last year, I chipped it, so now I had a little crack that looked liked Jim Carey from Dumb and Dumber. Besides that, I had also grinded my front teeth down so much that when I smiled, you could hardly see my teeth. They must have been ground halfway down. But it was because of the chipped tooth that motivated me to get it fixed. I went to visit a son, who I hadn’t seen for a while, and when he opened the door the first thing he said was “what happened to your teeth?” That really prompted me to get something done otherwise it was kind of on the backburner. I was always waffling as to whether I should have it fixed or not.
How did you wind up choosing Dr. Beffa?
Dr. Kyle Beffa was referred to me by my wife, who had been going to Beffa Dental since Kyle’s father was there. She’d seen Kyle’s dad for the longest time, and then Kyle took over the practice. She loves them. And that’s when she had told me ‘why don’t you see my dentist?’ I always wondered why she spent 20 minutes driving to see her dentist in Normandy Park, when there were other dentists closer, but I found that extra 10 minutes is well worth it to go that extra distance for the satisfaction and confidence.
What I liked about him was that he was very personable. He asked the right questions, and also took the time to listen. And not only him, but his staff too. He made me feel welcome. At the same time he was concerned, if I needed any changes, or if there was anything that bothered me. He even asked my wife to come in, so that he could to tell her about the procedures, and what to expect. When he was matching the colors of my teeth, he wanted her feedback on that too. I thought that was exceptional that he would also ask my partner because I married missus right, because she’s always right.
After the procedure, I got the mirror out, and saw the work that he did. I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, it’s almost like an art form.’
How about the staff?
Everyone one of them is great. They treat me very well. When I look back at why I wasn’t happy with the other dentists I’ve had, I’d say that it was the support group more than anything. It’s the whole experience. That’s important to me.
How has your new smile changed your life?
I like smiling now. Before I would subconsciously hide my smile, or you know, just kind of like do the smirk thing. I recognized myself that I had that issue, and I could recognize that same issue with other people. But now I don’t mind smiling or talking. It makes me feel a lot more confident. In fact, sometimes I’ll smile on purpose. ‘Hey, you want me to do dishes, thanks!’ I’ll show them off a little bit. I would say so. It puts me more in a positive mood too, and I’m willing to talk to people more, and not be afraid to talk. I used to subconsciously do a half smile talk really, without moving my lips as much because so I didn’t want people to notice my teeth. That can put me into a better mood.
My wife asked me if I wished I would have gotten it done sooner. And maybe yes, probably. But at that time, I wasn’t in that frame of mind to really do that. Until I chipped the one tooth, that’s when I knew I had to do something. I didn’t want to go with this all the time. I didn’t know what the ramifications of the decision would be, until after I had the dental work. Only then I realized how it helped my self esteem and my confidence level. I have no regrets about spending the money, because it’s something that I knew I needed to do and wanted to do, and I feel good about it.
How does your wife like your new smile?
Well, she might be a little jealous, because I show it off a lot more now (laughs). But she likes it. She realizes the value when you have good teeth – you’re able to speak and not be ashamed of your teeth.
Don’t let issues with your teeth prevent you from sharing your smile with the world. If you’re not confident about the look of your smile, please schedule a cosmetic dental consultation with us – just call (206) 242-0066 or request an appointment online. We can help you transform your smile and regain your confidence.
