Claire Barlow was the lucky winner of our most recent Smile Competition and her smile makeover treatment is now complete.
There was stiff competition from a number of entrants but the four judges unanimously felt that Claire was the most deserving candidate for a full smile makeover to the value of £5,000. Claire was a nanny when she won the prize, and had recently married. She told us during the judging that she couldn’t bear to buy any of her wedding photos because she was so ashamed of her two front teeth. As a result she had no official wedding album. Her husband Dean had also encouraged her to enter the competition.
Claire started treatment straight away and on her extensive smile makeover. It initially included multiple hygiene treatments to get her teeth and gums back into good health before her real treatment got underway. Then she told us some amazing news … she was expecting a baby!
Some of the treatment that Claire required is not recommended during pregnancy so we decided to put treatment on hold for a year until after Claire’s baby Emily was safely delivered.
Then when she was ready to get going again we started her treatment in earnest!
Claire had fillings, root canal treatment, a crown then invisible ceramic braces on her upper and lower teeth with Badri Chari, our consultant Orthodontist to move her teeth into position for a lovely straight white smile. Her treatment was finally completed earlier this year.
Said Claire ‘ I can’t thank the team enough for all they have done for me. My smile transformation was a real team effort involving the hygienists and three dentists – Gavin Laidlaw, Sophie Parker and Badri Chari. They were so patient during my pregnancy in spite of the fact that we were all keen to get the treatment underway. I feel a million times more confident- I can see it in the photos that are now taken of me. When I won the competition I was a nanny – now I manage a children’s nursery. I don’t think I would have applied for this job before I won the competition. I feel so much happier when I am chatting to parents and the kids that they are looking at my smile for the right reasons.’
Commented Gavin ‘I’m delighted to have been a part of the team that transformed Claire’s smile and to see what a difference it has made to her life. We genuinely love making our patients happy – that’s the main reason why we come to work every day. We look forward to treating our next Smile 2016 Competition Winner.’
