RAVING FANS Julie Hughes Dear Dr. Flax: Do you know how wonderful you are? I am sure you've been told before, but you certainly deserve to hear it again. After repeated recommendations by my former dentist to let him replace the old leaky fillings in the upper front with veneers, I finally decided to get serious about looking into it. He had told me that he might be able to close in some of the space and that he could lighten the color just a little but would be limited because of the color of the adjacent crowns. I had some real concerns about the overall health implications of doing such a procedure, which he never directly addressed. I requested to see some "before and after" cases of the work he had performed in this area. He instructed his assistant to bring in a photo album and after going through the book case by case with her, it was revealed that he had not done any of the work represented in the photos but rather the patients belonged to another dentist in the office. She assured me that there were some photos that had not been put into the book yet, and she would find them and update the book. To my knowledge she never did this. When I decided to get a second opinion, I really didn't know where to start but I knew I wanted to find someone who specialized in cosmetic dentistry rather than someone who was still experimenting with the possibilities. Your ad in Atlanta Magazine got my attention so I decided to call. I remember getting the answering machine, leaving a message and thing, good, I really don't want to do this anyway and they probably won't even all back. I was so wrong. Not only did Linda call me back, she was so helpful with answering my questions about your qualifications etc. and very complimentary of your skills and abilities. She immediately sent me and information package including several letters of recommendation from your patients. I wasn now looking forward to an evaluation and second opinion. Even before my scheduled appointment, you call me to find out if there were any questions you could answer for me, and as you now know, I always have lots of questions. It was refreshing to find that you would treat each one with the same level of importance, always listening, not just as a courtesy, but to really understand my concerns and expectations.
In me follow up appointment, you told me your plan of approach to get the best results for me and showed me the models you made from impressions of my teeth so that I could visualize how I was going to look. You plan included gingival sculpting or a "gum lift" that would enable you to lengthen the veneers to accommodate fillings in the spaces. You also showed me a color range that would be compatible with the color of my lower teeth after a brief bleaching period and it was considerably brighter than I ever thought possible. It was apparent to me then that my former dentist had not been looking at the "big picture" and I would never be happy with his recommendations. After seeing Dr. Pumphrey for the gum lift, in just two visits you were able to achieve such incredible results for me. You and Suzanne worked so methodically while I watched movies that I was barely aware of being in a dentist chair and aside from the obligatory Novocain shots, the procedure was painless. The temporaries you created for me at the first visit were almost as beautiful as the custom work you prescribed to the lab for the porcelain veneers. My new smile is so much brighter and healthier now and my confidence level is over the top! It's only been a few weeks and I have received so many compliments from family, friends and even strangers. When I returned to his office for a periodontal check up and cleaning, Dr. Pumphrey was especially pleased with your artwork and our progress in maintaining healthy gum tissue around the veneers as well as the other areas Valerie has worked with me to improve. Jennifer really admired your work as well. She commended Valerie for the home care regimen she prescribed to get my gums in the best possible condition before you applied the permanent veneers. I even earned a smiley face. I really want to thank you and your staff for making this a pleasant experience. There were so many nice surprises along the way but I am most impressed with the way you conduct your practice and your dedication to excellence in dental healthcare. Respectfully, and with much gratitude, Julie Hughes |
