Before and After: Kim

Kim came to our office already having a glowing smile.  When you look at her before picture, you can see that.

However, you can also see that her smile had some issues with the way her teeth were aligned.  There are places where the teeth are overcrowded and some have been pushed in different directions.  If you look closely, you can also see that some of her teeth were a little mis-shapen.  

Kim says she really struggled with her confidence level before getting braces.  She had a hard time wanting to smile, and was conscious of what other people thought of her teeth.

  

Take a look at the beautiful impact braces can have.  Kim's teeth are beautifully aligned:  there are no signs of overcrowding or uneven spacing.  Her teeth also have a more uniform look and shape.  Don't you even think it has affected her face shape?  Before, her cheek/jawbone area seemed to protrude just a bit.  After braces, things have slimmed up a ton, and she has an incredibly beautiful face shape.

And she says that now, she can't stop smiling.

Besides the fact that Kim is so pleased with the result of her braces, we also appreciate her kind words about our office staff:  she says that everyone was so sweet and helpful and made having braces even better.  Those words mean a lot to us.  We are so grateful for each of our patients, just like Kim, and we work hard to serve you and make your experience with braces one you can smile about.

For those who don't yet have braces or have just started their treatment, Kim says to hang in there, because "It's totally worth it in the long run, and you'll have the best smile ever!"

Meet Suelin!

We love getting to introduce you to the different members of our St. Clair's team.  Up this month is Suelin.  Suelin works as an Orthodontic Assistant, which means she helps put your braces on, change out wires, and fix any problems you might have (like a loose bracket or a broken wire).  She has been with us for three and a half years, and really enjoys what she does.  Not only does she enjoy working with the different members of our staff, she also loves getting to be around all of you.

But what really makes Suelin's story so neat to us is how she came to work at our office.  Suelin has always been a Lubbock girl.  As a kid, she had issues with her teeth:  they were pretty crooked and poorly aligned.  Growing up, other kids made fun of her, and she was incredibly insecure about her smile.  Her family wasn't able to get braces for her until she was a senior in high school.  

The office they chose?  St. Clair Orthodontics.  Suelin says she loved coming to the office--the staff was incredibly encouraging, and she loved knowing that we were helping her to have a smile she could feel confident about.  Her time as one of our patients helped her realize she wanted to do the same thing for others.

After graduating from Lubbock High, she attended Dental Assisting Training Schools (DATS for short).  When she and her husband moved, she got a job as a dental assistant.  A few years later, they came back to Lubbock, and she ended up working with us.  We have been very thankful to have her as one of our staff for the past three years, and we're looking forward to having her on our team for many more.  

When Suelin isn't at the office, she likes to spend her time relaxing with her family.  She and her family all love living here in the LBK, and you can usually find them all having fun together at a local park, cooking up some delicious barbeque.  She also really enjoys playing tennis and learning about different make-up techniques and hair styles.  Someday, she wants her whole family to get to go on a cruise.  While she would prefer the beach, she thinks her kids would match rather go on a Disney World Cruise.  

Suelin says that if she could meet a celebrity, she would choose Beyonce.  Not only does she think Beyonce has an incredible voice, she also shows a lot of humility.  Plus, Sheila says that they are the same age and have somethings in common...except for the singing voice, of course :).

Suelin, we're so glad that you're here at St. Clair's.  And who knows?  Maybe some of you could end up working here someday!

Have you gotten the chance to meet Suelin?  Be sure and tell her "Hello" the next time you're in the office! 

Before and After: Abby

We would like you to meet Abby.  Abby is a former patient of ours, and we think she has an incredible smile.  We'd like to take a second to tell you about it.

When Abby first came to our office to get braces, she was a beautiful red-headed girl with a great, bright smile.  However, her smile had a few issues with alignment, spacing, and teeth shape.

If you take a look at a close-up picture of her smile before she began her treatment, you can see some of these issues.  Problems with spacing are visible, and you can see that her teeth are overcrowded, so much so that they actually point in towards her mouth, rather that staying mostly straight up and down.  

Besides these problems, Abby admits that her teeth also bothered her on an emotional level.  "I've always had issues and worries with my teeth."  Her smile is the last thing we want a beautiful girl like Abby worrying about.

But, check out the difference her treatment made:

Not only are her teeth more aligned, they are also now spaced out evenly.  There are no more issues with over-crowding, and they are all shaped uniformly.  And how does Abby feel about her new teeth?

"My new smile makes me feel really happy when I look in a mirror," she says.  

One thing to note.  As you can see from Abby's pictures, she began her treatment when she was still fairly young, right after most of her baby teeth had been lost.  She's a great example of the benefits of starting your braces treatment early on, so that new teeth can be trained to grow in correctly, aligned with the others.  

Thank you, Abby, for letting us be a part of helping you have such a bright smile!  If you're interested in finding out how we can be a part of your smile story, contact us today at 806.799.6780!

Meet Gwen!

You've probably seen Gwen Martin many times when you come into the office. She is one of our treatment coordinators here at St. Clair Orthodontics, and we are proud to say that she has been with us for 20 years. Gwen's job is to explain to a patient and their family how braces work, what their treatment will look like, and cover financial information. Whenever you first came into our office, you probably met with Gwen or someone like her, and she walked you through what things would be like for you.

Gwen loves the work she gets to do with all of our patients. Her favorite aspect of her work is meeting new patients and getting to build a relationship with them throughout their treatment time. She also loves getting to help each one of them achieve the perfect smile they've always wanted.

Besides developing relationships with all of you, family is incredibly important to Gwen. If you talk to her for very long, she'll definitely share with you about her beautiful granddaughter, 20 month old Tenley June, who loves to call Gwen "Mimzie." In just a few months, Gwen will have even more to share: granddaughter Suri Gray is due at the beginning of the summer.

Gwen's close family ties are also seen in her strong relationships with her husband, Dale (they have been married for 29 years, which we think is really cool!), her son, Matt, and her daughter, Natalie, as well as her mom and her sister. Since everyone lives pretty close to the Lubbock area, Gwen gets to spend a lot of her time with family (and she wouldn't have it any other way!)

Here are a few other things you might not know about Gwen: if she could go anywhere in the world, she would definitely pick the beach. She loves to be active, and her favorite food is Mexican (delicioso, right?!). Of all the people she could meet, at the very top of her list is Charles Stanley, a man who has dedicated his life to teaching God's truth boldly, and in a way that has really touched Gwen's heart.

Now that you know more about Gwen, be sure and tell her hi the next time you see her in the office. She really loves our patients, and your smiles make her day!

Meet Stacy

Remember those awkward pictures you had to take before you got your braces on: the ones where we put all kinds of things in your mouth and make it stretch farther than you ever thought it could?

If you do remember them, you also remember Stacy. She's the one behind the camera, who can make you laugh even when you have lots of things in your mouth.

Stacy has been a part of our St. Clair's team for seven years, working as our Records Coordinator. It's her job to make sure that we have pictures of what your smile looked like before you had braces, how it changes throughout the time of your treatment, and what the amazing final result looks like when your treatment is complete.

While she does her job well, there is so much more that Stacy does that goes beyond her job description. She makes you feel comfortable as soon as you meet her, and she will remember who you are the next time she sees you. Our office is definitely a much more enjoyable place to be because of her presence.

When she's not taking pictures in our office, Stacy enjoys shopping and reading a good book. Her favorite food is anything Italian, and she loves to take her nieces out for pizza. She also happens to be a Lady Gaga fan (how's that for something you might not have known about her?).

We can't tell you enough how thankful we are that Stacy is a part of our team. The next time you see her in the office, be sure and say hi to her (just make sure you do that before you have to put all the awkward things in your mouth).

Before and After: Ms. Platt

Our featured patient before and after story for February is Ms. Platt. Ms. Platt is one of our Clovis patients, and we loved getting to work with her, and to be a part of her smile transformation.

Here is a picture of what Ms. Platt's smile looked like before the braces. We definitely think she has always had a beautiful smile, but she wasn't pleased with the fact that her chin went so far forward.

If you look at a close-up of her teeth, you can also see that she had a slight underbite, which means that her top teeth actually went behind her bottom ones. Besides the underbite, you can also notice that her teeth seemed to angle in somewhat. None of these are huge cosmetic fixes, but we were definitely excited to help give Ms. Platt the smile she wanted!

After about 14 months of treatment, we have a completely different smile! The underbite is corrected, and the top and bottom teeth don't angle in any longer.

Ms. Platt's treatment consisted of changing her wires every 8-10 weeks and wearing rubber bands to help draw her teeth into better alignment.

When we asked her about her experience with us, and how she feels about her new smile, Ms. Platt said, "It was a very good experience, everyone in the office was so nice. I now show more confidence because my underbite is corrected!"

We also love the way her new smile really lights up her entire face. With the corrections made through our treatments, it really stretches out more, immediately drawing your attention to how beautiful it is. Julia Roberts, anyone?

Are you interested in being one of our amazing before and after stories? If so, contact our office today, and begin your smile transformation!

Meet Tammi!

What's not to love about Tammi? Besides the fact that she's been at St. Clair's for 20 years (yes, you read that right. She was 10 when she started!), she's one of the most energetic, fun people to be around.

Tammi grew up in Lubbock and has lived here since she was young. She loves this area and the people here, and wouldn't want to call anywhere else home. She takes a lot of joy in getting to know our patients and be a part of their lives, and she truly loves the co-workers she gets to work with (we think she's pretty great, too!).

Tammi works as on orthodontic assistant and clinical coordinator, which means you've probably seen her at the front desk and in the back when you get your braces on or have a check-up.

When she's not working, Tammi loves to be outside, working out, spending time with friends, or getting a nice tan. She loves a good steak (good thing she lives in Texas, right?), and one of her hobbies is music. In fact, when asked one person she would really love to meet some day, her answer was Adele--just so she could teach Tammi how to sing like her.

We happen to love your voice the way it is Tammi, and we're so thankful we get to work with you!

Be sure and tell Tammi hi the next time you're in the office. If you're really nice, she might even sing for you :).