<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M_1fz2186KQ?si=q_QxwPdgWRKlWodS" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>In this heartfelt episode of the SmileLine Podcast, the team interviews Leah Clark, a patient who underwent a complex, two-stage full arch prosthetic procedure as part of the practice’s annual pro bono case. Leah candidly shares her emotional journey, from being initially turned away due to scheduling challenges, to finally receiving her life-changing dental treatment a year later. She discusses her experience with surgery, recovery, and the transformation of her smile and self-confidence. The conversation highlights the technical complexities of her case, the compassionate care she received, and the profound impact her new smile has had on her mental and social well-being.
Transcript:
[Music]
00:00:00 – 00:01:05
Welcome to the SmileLine Podcast. The purpose of this podcast is to give real information from doctors and patients about our SmileLine prosthetic and the sequence of appointments. For more information, check out our website or give our office a call. Hope you enjoy today’s episode.
All right guys, welcome back to another episode of our SmileLine Podcast, and we have a special guest on — we have Leah Clark.
Leah: Hello!
We, uh, we delivered her final prosthetics a little over a month ago, and Leah’s case was actually a pro bono case. It was a two-stage upper and lower SmileLine case — a very difficult case, right?
Leah: Yes.
So she’s been our—yeah, she’s been our friend at Huntline for a little over a year now — about a year and a half.
Leah: I feel like family, not going to lie.
Yeah, yeah. So we’re going to touch back on her surgery and just talk about how kind of your life has been impacted by this.
So, where you from, Leah?
Leah: Um, Centertown, Missouri.
Which—where?
Leah: Centertown, Missouri. It’s like right between California and Jeff City. It’s a very small town.
For some reason, I was thinking you were from like Rolla?
Leah: No, this is where I live at right now.
Oh, okay, okay. I was like, I thought you—
Leah: No, no.
Okay, all right. So you originally seen us for a consultation, right? You—you came in. And how old were you about whenever you started?
Leah: I want to say like 27?
You were 27?
Leah: Yeah, okay, just about. No, I was 26, about to be 27 in that May, ’cause we did it in the J—January.
Okay, okay. And you came to see us for a consult, and Doc—and so, kind of a little backstory here is we like to do one pro bono case a year where Dr. Sam kind of picks out a case—whether he finds it unique or challenging or just kind of a, “Hey, this person really kind of spoke to us in the consult,” and we—we kind of just pick out one a year and do it.
And he had talked to you about doing the pro bono case. And this is kind of where it gets like—I was—I had a bad day that day. So we talked to Leah about doing the pro bono case, and then she left. And uh, we had an associate leave right about that time, and we got together as a staff meeting, and we were talking about it, and we were just kind of swamped in appointments. We were trying to pick up lack of work, and we had decided like, “Hey, we’re going to have to push this pro bono case back.” So I was tasked with calling you back and saying, “Hey, I’m sorry, we can’t do it right now.”
Leah: Yes, I remember. But it’s okay, I understand.
Yep. So I—I made Leah cry in that conversation, and it still haunts me to this day.
But fast forward to a year—we were in a little better position. We were a little settled down as a company, and I got to call you back and say, “Hey, we can do your case now.”
Leah: Yes, and those were happy tears that day.
Yep! So we seen her back for a re-consult, and then we started planning the surgery, right?
Leah: Yes.
How was your consultation experience? Because you kind of went through almost like two of them.
Leah: Oh, it was—it was great. I’m not gonna lie. Like, even though with how like my teeth looked and how it made me feel, they didn’t make you feel like, you know, any type of way. They treated you just like a normal, like, human being—however you want to say it—and just talked to you and had your options and what you can do, and it just made me feel—it made me feel good.
Awesome, awesome to hear. And also with Leah’s case—and I’ll put up the x-rays here—but you had, um, you had two impacted canines, yes?
So, the IT teeth are your guys right here—your canines, number six and eleven—and Leah’s were laying up here, right here. So it made her case challenging. And we decided—well, Dr. Sam in his diagnosis was like, “Hey, I can’t take your teeth out and place implants like we normally do. We’re going to have to take those teeth out and then let you heal for six months or so and then come back in and take the rest of your teeth out and place implants.”
Leah: Yes.
So we scheduled your first surgery, and we took out—I want to say maybe like ten teeth? Some of the—most of the back teeth. And then we went after these six, and right there… How was that surgery? ‘Cause that was a pretty invasive surgery.
Leah: Um, overall, I—I’m not going to lie, I didn’t even know I had that many teeth taken out! So that was good, I guess. And overall the aftercare—I was swollen and like bruised, obviously—but other than that, I felt like I healed pretty quickly. Where it wasn’t like really bad pain—like it was, like after like two weeks or so I think it was—it went away. Like I didn’t have too much pain besides the other pain I had in my—my teeth because of how my teeth were. But yeah, it was good.
Yep. So then—I mean that puts you in a stage of like there’s really nothing we can do besides for you to heal. So like, we just—you heal. And then I think it was about eight months later we seen you back. We took the rest of the teeth out, placed the implants, and then you walked out with your new temporary teeth. How was that process for you?
Leah: Well, that process—it was… at first I was really nervous. The whole morning, the day before, ’cause I didn’t know. Obviously you don’t know how that’s going to go with surgery. But I got to say, like, I don’t remember a lot of that day. So that helped a lot, obviously.
And then same thing, aftercare wasn’t really that bad. About a week or two, and then everything was—not back to normal, back to normal—but getting to back to normal for me.
Yep, yep. I will say it’s—it’s our goal to make you forget your surgery. Like, it—it’s a long day, like, right?
I mean—well, you might not remember now, but um, so we try to sedate patients to a level where they’re—they’re pretty knocked out, out of it, because it’s a long day.
Leah: I was expecting that though, so that was like, whew. But I liked it because I didn’t want—like, I was just—I’m not good with pain. Teeth pain and any of that. Dr. Sam will tell you guys—I’m not good with that. But, so I was really glad that that was an option because I always didn’t know what would, you know, like what would happen for me to get that much work done. Like, would I be awake? You know what—?
So I really did like that because it just made me feel so much better.
Yeah, yeah. That’s awesome to hear. Because that’s—and it’s easier on the doctors because he’s not, you know, constantly—it’s harder for him to work on patients when he knows they’re uncomfortable and in pain. So like, if we can sedate them to more of a level where they’re—they’re kind of out of it—it just makes everything flow a lot smoother.
Leah: No, it really did.
Do you remember walking out, or that next day, with your temporaries — kind of seeing your first new smile?
Leah: Yes, I was through the roof, so excited. I loved — I always, I’m not going to lie — I’ve always loved my smile to a T. But after having like really good teeth, and not just how they looked before, it just made me through the roof. Like, I was so happy with my smile. I smile all the time now.
That’s awesome to see. So then we jump into a situation where now we’re in the temporaries, and we’re trying to finalize that tooth position. And we went through probably five different sets of temporaries with you to try to get that ideal tooth position. It’s normally two or three, but sometimes it does go to five or six — I mean, really it’s just a, we’re just working together to get everybody on the same page. Get the teeth biting, get the phonetics right, get the smile right.
Leah: Yeah, definitely.
And then we finally got it right.
Leah: Yes!
So we got it, and we start making the finals. And then we delivered the finals about a month ago, yes?
Leah: Right, yes.
How has that been?
Leah: The same thing — through the roof. I feel like even more better. I think — I don’t know if I like them better or not, but I just feel like they look better to me.
I think they look amazing.
Leah: Thank you.
Yeah, they do look good. I went back, looked at your before photos, looked at your afters — and your smile now is, it’s really pretty. Yeah, it looks really good.
So now you’re one month out. How has your chewing ability been? I remember on your first intake, you marked you were chewing a five out of ten, quite a bit of pain.
Leah: Yes.
How’s your chewing ability now?
Leah: Perfect now. I’m not going to lie — like, it’s good. I like, yeah, it’s good. I can’t even tell I had any issues.
Awesome. Especially in your last appointment, when they buffed down a little bit of that acrylic stuff — made it perfect.
Leah: Yep.
And no more pain, right?
Leah: No more pain. Especially — yeah, because down here is where it was red that one time from taking the teeth out. They took them out that one time, and I didn’t even feel it.
That’s awesome. And I — you will say, on your intake form, you did mark you were embarrassed of your smile?
Leah: Yes.
Did we check that one off? Did we get it fixed?
Leah: Yes, definitely. Like I said, I’ve always chose to smile ‘cause I’ve always, deep down, like, “You know what, forget it.” Like, I get that my teeth aren’t the greatest, but you know, I’m happy. So you know, who cares?
But then after, you know, this — duh — it makes you even more happier.
And I think that’s really great what you just said right there. Like, hey, maybe they’re not the prettiest, but I’m just going to choose to be happy anyway. The fact that now we can just marry that — that beautiful smile up with your personality that loves to smile — where you can even show them off — like, it is awesome to see.
Leah: Well, thank you.
Overall, how has your experience been? If you wanted to summarize this entire process up — it was a long process, we had our ups and downs, our surgeries and everything, our temporaries — but now we’re here. Can you give me a little summary of just the process?
Leah: Honestly, I — I know, like, I don’t know if I said this before, but I would definitely do it again. ‘Cause like, yes, it was a long process, a long surgery, I had two different surgeries and all that, but it just — it made me feel so much better, like mentally and just everything. Where I — I would go through this process again, honestly.
That’s great to hear. I mean, even — yeah, I mean that means we did a pretty good job, because I mean, you’re willing to go through it again to get the results.
Leah: And I — I think I said this before — I love Dr. Sam and Dr. Chris and their staff. They have been really great and they’re really nice. And they don’t make you feel like, you know, any type of way or anything ‘cause your teeth are messed up.
Yep. I always tell patients — and I get it, the dental anxiety is a real thing — and they’re embarrassed or they don’t want to come in, and they’re sitting down and they’re like, “I’m scared to open. It’s the worst you’ve ever seen.” And I’m like, I do this every day. It’s probably not the worst I’ve ever seen.
Leah: I’m going to be honest — that was the first time I went to a dentist in quite a few years because of that.
Well, I’m glad we could make it a good experience, and I’m glad we’re here now.
Leah: Yes, like I said, I am too. I’m so happy that everything worked out how it was supposed to be. Even me waiting the year — I think, like, I am a true believer stuff is supposed to happen how it’s supposed to happen. So I’m — I’m here now.
Now that we’re all done, we got this beautiful smile all complete and delivered — take me back to maybe a year or two, even before you went to the dentist. Whenever you were scared to go to the dentist — kind of how was your situation from a smiling, social aspect to where it is now?
Leah: And like I said earlier, to be honest, I still kind of smiled, and I was still my bubbly, happy self — because that’s just my personality. I’m not going to tone that down, or I can’t turn that down because of, you know, my smile. Yes, it still affected me mentally — like, “Do they just stare at my teeth when I’m talking?” or, you know, “What do they see?”
‘Cause I used to have a tooth that had a little black on it — “Do they just look at that?” You know, or what? You just always think of that.
One day I was sneezing and had the tooth come out because it was just a really bad tooth. So it’s like — you know, stuff like that happens. But I just had to mentally try to be like, “You know what? Like, it’s okay. My teeth are bad, but it doesn’t tone me down of who I am.”
Right, right. So how’s it now?
Leah: Even better. Like, I’m just — I feel like I’m just on cloud nine. And honestly, like, I just feel so great. I’m so happy. I love life even more than what I did.
That’s awesome. Awesome to hear. That’s really special. That was a really great answer.
All right. So now, let’s compare the chewing ability — to where you were, to where you’re at now. What kind of restrictions did you have before you came in?
Leah: Um, I couldn’t even eat strawberries because it was so cold and sensitive. Like, I could even — sometimes with bread, I would have a tooth back in here and I had a hole. Stuff would get stuck in there. Like, it would just bother you and bother you. So yeah, literally couldn’t eat.
I would literally — when I would eat, I would eat with just my front teeth. Because that’s the only teeth I really had that was more like — had full teeth on both top and bottom.
Mhm. And they’re not meant to chew food.
Leah: No. They’re meant to smile and bite things off.
Yes! And I feel like that’s why, like, some of them — they did start breaking off and stuff, ’cause I would chew with them.
And how are you doing now?
Leah: Like, perfect. Like, yes, I still have — like, I think like my mind is like, “Oh, don’t chew on, you know, right there,” but other than that, I am doing good. I’m like chewing in the back here and taking bites and everything, and it’s all good.
Awesome. Awesome. That’s great to hear.
Leah: Yes it is. ‘Cause I was — I like, I was worried about that. Like, if I’m going to be able to eat and all that. And, you know, at first, like, it felt like they were going to come out — like even the temps, you know what I mean?
So I was iffy on eating. But now, I just eat and don’t really think about it, per se.
Absolutely. Well, I always tell patients — ’cause they’re like — sometimes, I mean, I see two different aspects. But I always tell them like, “Hey, these prosthetics — as good as they are — they’re not like healthy natural teeth.”
Like, you’ve had your healthy natural teeth your entire life. That’s what you’re used to. You have nerve endings. You have feelings. These prosthetics — they’re going to be completely new, and there’s going to be a learning curve that you’ve got to get through, because it feels different, right?
Leah: It feels different, but I’m really happy to hear that — no restrictions now, and eating whatever you want.
Leah: No! Now I can eat bread again — yes! And strawberries! I had strawberries the other day, actually, for Valentine’s Day, and they were — I was happy.
Oh, that’s awesome. Okay, so do you have any advice for patients out there that think — you know, they’re scared to go to the dentist. Do you have any advice for them?
Leah: Um, at the end of the day, like, you’re going to feel how you’re going to feel, yes. But you’re not going to ever make it better if you don’t just try and just go and get help. Even if it is a pro bono case, somebody that, you know, does offer whatever helps your payment out or whatever — but like, it does really make a difference.
Awesome. Awesome. All right, so then — kind of maybe my almost last question — what about people that are — what about this process?
Because I do get a lot of people that are scared of the process. And I will say, most of the processes are more simple than yours. Most people are single-stage. Yours was a two-stage, required two surgeries, healing — unfortunately, all that stuff — but that’s just your anatomy that we had to go through.
What’s your advice for patients that are maybe like, “Okay, hey, I want to do this, but I’m scared”?
Leah: Honestly, I would say you have to just go out there and try it. Even if you get a no, get a whatever — at least you went out there and put yourself in that position to try to better yourself and better your smile.
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, thank you, Leah, for joining me on the podcast. And I will say it’s been a pleasure to have you at the office and do your case. I look forward to seeing you in new podcasts — and thanks for coming on.Leah: Yeah! Thank you for having me as well. Anytime you want me here, I’ll be here.