Shannon’s
Transformation“This is going to be a lot of work…but we’re going to do it.” That is what Shannon remembers Dr. Ramin Tabib saying to her at her first visit, where they discussed the porcelain veneers and implant restorations she would need to achieve a healthy biting anatomy. His assurance, along with the office’s calming atmosphere, made her feel that this was the dentist she could trust with her smile makeover. The braces Shannon had worn when she was younger left her better off but not with a smile she felt good about. She recalls editing or simply not sharing photos, afraid her less-than-perfect smile would become the focus of the picture. At times, she would go out of her way to not show her teeth at all, feeling preoccupied with what people might think. She reports losing objectivity—was she being too judgmental of herself? What did others really see when they looked at her? She did receive some dental work in the post-braces, pre-Tabib years, but it wasn’t high-quality work. In fact, some of the restoration she would undergo with Dr. Tabib would be repairs to old implants. In addition to those implants, Shannon’s teeth were too short for a proper bite and there was some uneven discoloration. Furthermore, some of her biting surfaces lacked the grooves that healthy teeth typically possess. Shannon’s poor dental experiences of the past, however unfortunate, made her very discerning and led her in the right direction. Researching dentists online, she came across NYC Smile Design. She dug into the before-and-afters and the Instagram feed, and it all just “grabbed” her.
