Patient Transformation – Ruthie

Ruthie’s Story

Before 

Ruthie remembers plenty of sugar growing up. She remembers, “My father had worked for Coca-Cola when I was a child so we were provided with free Coke. Therefore, I have had lots of dental work over the years.” Dating back to when she was a little girl, Ruthie had a lot of cavities, root canals and crowns over the years.

“I have had so many procedures and my mouth had a mish mosh of different treatments,” she said. My mouth and gums were always irritated and I had bouts of TMJ and jaw discomfort.” About ten years ago, Ruthie had Dr. Norman give her porcelain veneers on her upper teeth. She became known for her beautiful smile but all the while, she continued to have problems in her bottom teeth.

As she neared semi-retirement, Ruthie decided it was time to fix the issues with her lower teeth as well.

During

When Ruthie started the first set of veneers for her upper teeth, she spoke to Dr. Norman in a consultation. Dr. Norman asked, if she could have one wish for her smile, what would it be? Ruthie answered, “I wish I could have my teeth be as beautiful as everyone in this office.”

With upper veneers, Ruthie was on her way to a beautiful and memorable smile. The experience of getting the porcelain veneers at Dr. Norman’s practice was memorable. “She was just so gentle,” Ruthie said. “There are so many pleaseant diversions there like warm blankets, its like going to a spa. For the veneers she (Dr. Norman) believes in conscious sedation. I slept through the whole thing. She doesn’t want you to have any pain.”

For the lower veneers, Ruthie had to have a root canal on a lower tooth a few weeks before her cosmetic procedure was scheduled and was disheartened.  Ruthie said, “I was a mess the day I went in for the lower veneers. She (Dr. Norman) just took me in her arms and said “It’s going to be all right. We are going to make everything all right.” She did exactly as she promised and it made it so much better.

After

Now that she has porcelain veneers on her teeth, not only do Ruthie’s teeth look amazing, but she feels so much better. “It’s hard to explain,” Ruthie said. “My mouth and gums just feel healthy and clean. Getting rid of all of the old dental work, all that black amalgam that is so unhealthy made a difference.”

Ruthie would recommend Dr. Norman to anyone. “She is a great dentist,” Ruthie said. “I had so many bad experiences at the dentist all my life, it was like I had dental PTSD!” But Dr. Norman’s attention to Ruthie’s care and the craftsmanship of her beautiful dental veneers has helped put Ruthie’s bad experiences at the dentist in her past.