News & Information

The Wedding Smile

Thu, 9 May 2013 18:24:09 -0500

No matter if it's your crazy uncle at a family reunion or a professional photographer in the studio behind the camera, when the proverbial command, “SMIILE” is given, that becomes your cue to hide your smile. Those of you who have a “not so perfect smile” know exactly what I am talking about. You have worked for years to perfect your favorite “smile camouflage” technique. Some like the “hand over mouth” technique while others like the “closed lip stern look” method but some prefer the “Chicken Little” pose (so chicken you show very little teeth).

On December 13, 2012 a wonderful couple came to my office for a Free Smile Evaluation for the “wife member” of this most unique duo. The husband came along not to be the “Commander” or to make sure his wife didn't spend too much money, but he came along to provide and show his total support in this quest for a beautiful smile for his beloved wife. This husband-wife team very quickly touched me deeply as I examined her teeth and heard her story. Even though this lady was obviously beautiful, there was one thing that had always been a problem for her. Her smile! Darkly stained by tetracycline antibiotics as a child, her teeth had always been her photographic nemesis. Every school picture, family photo, and vacation snapshot reminded her of this omnipresent problem. In an attempt to close spaces and cover the very dark teeth, she had tried “bonding” and “bleaching” but with far less than satisfaction.

But this time was different! She was on a serious mission to find a dentist that could not just help her problem but solve her problem. I was not the first dentist she visited. She had diligently done her research, checking web sites, asking friends, and visiting several dental offices seeking out a dentist that she trusted for this most important mission. You see, Nancy had a wedding that was rapidly approaching, the wedding of her only daughter, Kaitlyn. But not really her only daughter, her only living daughter. On May 3, 2002 Nancy and Shane lost their other precious daughter, Shea, to cancer. So in a way, this was a wedding event for both of her girls. Kaitlyn was the bride and Shea was the Maid of Honor, represented by a beautiful bouquet of daises and sunflowers along side her sister. Nancy wasn't seeking a beautiful smile in order to be the center of attention at the wedding, far from that. I don't believe this lady has a vain bone in her body. She just simply wanted to be able to smile, I mean really smile not a hidden smile, at her daughter's wedding. She wanted to be able to look at the beautiful photographs of her lovely daughter's wedding and for the first time in her life not be the only one in picture who was not smiling. That's not too much to ask, is it?

After spending about an hour talking with this couple and explaining the process, they decided Signature Smile was the team to entrust with the “Smile Makeover.” I must tell you, every single person on my Signature Smile team and both of the dental labs involved in the construction of the new smile for Nancy became totally dedicated to the task. We all knew how important our efforts were to her “Wedding Smile.” The process began with imaged photos and a waxed-up 3-D model of what her finished smile would look like before we even started. Nancy and her husband were thrilled when they saw the results they could anticipate. There was much to do and with the time constraint of the wedding date...no time for errors. Not only was there a deadline of April 6, 2013 but we had to work around parties, showers, and photo shoots.

First, a “gum lift” was required to raise the tissue to allow her teeth to appear longer. A “frenectomy” was also done to remove the little muscle that connects the lip to the gum because it showed when she smiled. A beautiful smile is not just about the “white” but also about the “pink”. The gums had to heal for six weeks. During the healing time, we KoR bleached her lower teeth and removed the old metal fillings from her upper teeth in preparation for the cosmetic crowns. Next, Nancy came in for the “Big Appointment” where we prepared all of her upper teeth for crowns and placed beautiful temporary crowns. The temporary crowns were a huge step in the right direction. They looked far better than her teeth had ever looked in her life but the best was yet to come.
Two weeks prior to the wedding she came in to place the 14 beautiful crowns that had carefully been prepared by the professionals at daVinci Dental Studio in Hollywood, CA. Everyone waited with great anticipation as we put the crowns on that day. Husband Shane waited patiently in our waiting room at Bridge Street, Team Blue worked diligently assisting me as we seated each and every crown, and the lab team at daVinci eagerly awaited in California to hear from us in Alabama. And then the moment came, the new smile was completed. When she looked in the mirror and saw her new smile, she just stood there and cried with tears of joy. The smile that had once been Nancy's “Ugly Duckling” was now her beautiful “Swan”. Shane joined us for the unveiling of the new smile and to share in her joy. I don't think I have ever received warmer handshakes and more sincere hugs than I received from this wonderful couple that day.

Two weeks later, that long awaited wedding took place in Georgia. The bride was beautiful, the groom was most handsome, the bridal party surrounded the couple in a loving way, the weather was perfect, and the ceremony went off without a hitch. Oh yeah, and Nancy smiled in every photograph.

Joseph Baldwin

Mon, 6 May 2013 19:52:13 -0500

Joseph Baldwin is a gifted singer and talented songwriter. He was also the Year of Alabama Music Songwriters Contest Winner.

Dr. Wilson is currently helping Joseph to get a Signature Smile... a "Wow Smile."

We went to the Rattlesnake Saloon Saturday evening to see and hear Joseph. Great performance!

Hope you’ll take a few moments to watch the YouTube video of Joseph's awesome song, "I'm Alabama."

Then check out his Facebook fan page!

Shawna P from “The Voice” comes to Signature Smile

Mon, 6 May 2013 17:56:51 -0500

Shawna P of "The Voice" visited Signature Smile Florence on Thursday and Signature Smile at Bridge Street on Friday. Shawna traveled from her home in Orange Beach just to see Dr. Wilson about doing a smile makeover.

Shawna started out as one of 50,000 people competing to be on "The Voice," and she made it to the final 32 contestants. At her first appearance on "The Voice" both Adam and Shakira turned their chairs around for Shawna. She selected Shakira to be her coach. Her appearance on "The Voice" has catapulted her career and opened many doors.

"Smile Like the Stars" at Signature Smile, home of the "Wow Smile"!

One Man’s Junk is Another Man’s Treasure

Wed, 1 May 2013 14:21:30 -0500

All of my patients know from the many Alabama prints hanging on the walls of my office, I am a major "Alabama Crimson Tide Fan." I go to all of the home games and frequently take patients with me.

My many Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State patients and I carry on a fun rivalry each time they visit, and it goes on all year long, not just in the fall.

One of my long-term rivalry patients is retired Tennessee banker, Jasper Brewer. Jasper and his family are not only good patients, they are dear friends. This past Monday when Jasper showed up for his dental appointment, he came with gift in hand. A really nice gift! An Alabama tie with “UA” proudly displayed on it. Wow! I thought Jasper was really going above and beyond bringing such a great gift, until I found out he had received the gift as a “Gag Gift” at a party. His options with this piece of “Junk” was to wear it (NO Way!), throw it away (remember he was a banker, never be wasteful), or recycle it by giving it to his old friend, the “Alabama Dentist.” I'm proud to say Jasper made his “Junk,” my “Treasure.”

I proudly wore the tie to work on Tuesday, and will wear it many more times in the future, each time remembering my friend Jasper. One Tennessee man’s ugly crimson junk tie is another Alabama man’s beautiful crimson treasure tie.

Roll Tide!
Dr. Don

What You Don’t See Will Hurt You... The Contagious Cancer

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:59:23 -0500

The old idioms, “Ignorance is bliss” and “What you don't know, won't hurt you” assumes that no harm will come from the unknown. Potentially harmful things that remain unknown can produce hurt and determine the intensity of the hurt. Two years ago my son's house totally burned to the ground while he and his family were at home. For a while they didn't know about the building smoke and fire in the basement, and they continued on “life as usual.” So for a short time their “ignorance” of the fire provided a sense of “bliss.” When they smelled smoke, saw the flames, and became knowledgeable of the fire, they were able to escape with their lives, but suffered the total loss of their house and all of their possessions. Ignorance is not always bliss, and what we don’t know not only can hurt us, it can kill us!

Every hour in our country a patient dies of Oral Cancer! Oral Cancer is increasing at the rate of 11% per year while most cancers are on the decline. The death rate from oral cancer is now higher than that of such cancers as cervical, thyroid, Hodgkin's lymphoma, testicular, laryngeal, or malignant melanoma. Did you know over 5000 men and over 2000 women die each year of Oral Cancer primarily due to late diagnosis? Over 40% of patients diagnosed with oral cancer have a noncontributory history, meaning they don't smoke or use smokeless tobacco, and they do not drink alcohol in excess. There is a 500% increase of oral cancer among young people due to the sexual transmission of the Human Papilloma Virus. Because HPV 16 and HPV 18 is transmissible and directly related to Oral Cancer, it is often referred to as the “Contagious Cancer.”

Unfortunately 62% of the cases of oral cancer diagnosed are late Stage III or Stage IV with a poor prognosis. With early detection, there can be an 80 to 90% survival rate of those with oral cancer. However, the disease is not always apparent in the early stages. There has been little improvement in the survival rate over the past 40 years. Less than 20% of dentists use anything other than a “look and feel” examination to determine the presence of oral cancer. Now, we can do better!

Thanks to such technology as the “Identafi” Oral Cancer Screening Device (www.identafi.net) with its “multispectral” imaging technology (triple-wavelength spectroscopy) better patient care and early detection are possible! Identafi delivers a higher degree of clinical accuracy and confidence to dentists as it pinpoints biochemical and morphological changes in cells of the mouth, throat, tongue, and tonsils. The Identafi uses white, green-amber, and violet wavelengths of light to differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue.

First, all areas of the mouth are observed with the concentrated white light to provide a conventional look at the tissue.

Second, all areas are again observed with the violet wavelength while wearing special filtered doctor glasses to enhance visual effects and transmission of reflected light. The doctor’s filtered glasses block the violet excitation light and allows the observation of the tissue’s natural florescence. Violet light enhances the normal tissue's natural florescence; however, suspect tissue appears dark because of its loss of florescence.

Third, when suspect tissue areas are detected with the violet wavelength, the green-amber wavelength is used because it enhances normal tissue's reflectance properties. The dentist can thus observe the difference between normal and abnormal tissue blood vessel patterns. Normal tissue has a more defined blood vessel appearance while abnormal tissue has a more diffused blood vessel appearance. In this case the blood vessel appearance did not look abnormal; however, because of a history of smoking a biopsy was done anyway. Fortunately the results of the biopsy showed the lesion was benign.

Oral Cancer Screenings are quick, painless, and very accurate. It takes less than five minutes to complete the exam and we suggest everyone over the age of 17 be screened. The cost of the oral cancer screening is only $30. The American Dental Association estimates that 60% of the US population visits a dentist every year; however, less than 15% of those who visit the dentist regularly report having an oral cancer screening.

In the first 6 months of implementing the Identafi into my practice we diagnosed 2 cases of squamous cell cancer, 2 cases of pre-cancerous lesions, and a benign, but very serious, jugular glomerulus.

What we don’t see can hurt us.
Ignorance is not always bliss.

What we don’t know can not only hurt us, it can kill us!