If you an avid reader of this blog, you would know that my previous post was about challenges is doing dental makeover. I shared with you one of the cases. Now, I’m going to share another case that I faced similar challenges. Choosing a right shade is always a big challenge to me. What more if it involves a combination of crowns and composite veneers.

Najiah has been my patient for several years now. After her last routine check up in October, she requested to do whitening treatment to have a more brighter and whiter smile. I told her that in her case, the treatment doesn’t stop there. Once she completed the whitening process, she has to change her crown and also her composite veneers to match the shade for rest of the teeth. She agreed with my suggestion and we set the date for the next appointment.

It was a smooth process for the whitening treatment. It took 1 hour to complete the treatment and Najiah was comfortable during the whole process. She was happy with the whitening result.

It was a smooth process from here on and changing the old crown to the new one. I suggested Najiah to change the old crown to a full porcelain crown so she doesn’t have to worry about the dark appearance at the gum line in future. Both of us were happy with the shape and color of the new porcelain crown. It matched with the rest of the teeth. Next I had to change the veneer in order to achieve Najiah’s dream smile. Here, the challenges started.

I warned Najiah at the beginning of the treatment, that this might be a long process. She was so nice to me and said,” It’s okay doctor take your time.” Honestly, I wasn’t prepared mentally that day and that feeling of failing a patient’s satisfaction and expectation crept in. The fact that she trusted my capability put heavy pressure on me. I really really wanted Najiah to have her dream smile on that day. Unfortunately, it didn’t happened. I had to ask Najiah to come another day for me to get the shade right. She fully understood and she was okay with it.

I was mentally prepared when Najiah came the second time to change the veneer. I asked my nurse to lay out all the different shades of the composite material we have. My goal was to make sure that Najiah left the clinic with a wide happy smile on her face. I told myself to be patient and don’t rush things. I kept giving myself pep-talks silently. Although I took 2 hours to finally get the perfect shade and shape of the veneers, Najiah was ecstatic when she saw her own reflection in a mirror. “Wow doctor! You nailed it” she said.

Upon hearing those words I felt relieved. It’s true when people say when you do your work base on love, passion and sincerity it doesn’t feel like work and making other people happy is the greatest feeling.

Thank you Najiah for trusting me.

Dr. Dini (dini@drfauziah.com)