When this girl was around thirteen years of age, she had an “overbite” and a “buckteeth” appearance.  A local orthodontist recommended removal of some teeth along with braces.  I was a rather fresh dentist, not trained in orthodontics at the time, and something told me to hold off on her treatment, which was OK with the girl as boys had not quite yet entered the picture.  Shortly thereafter at a seminar, I met a dentist, Dr. Robert Lee, who was also a biologist.  He was researching people with healthy mouths and attractive smiles who rarely, if ever needed the dentist - some well into their 80’s and 90’s.  They had very little, if any decay or gum problems, no abnormal tooth wear or “TMJ”, head and neck pain.  He discovered that, without exception they all shared common attributes.  These attributes have ultimately become the “Bioesthetic Guidelines” that dentists trained in Bioesthetics use in their diagnosis, prevention and treatment. He was a co-founder of the seminar, which taught facial growth and development and the use of special orthodontic appliances that fostered the development of the jaws to accommodate the teeth.  This girl became my first patient in the seminar. 

Her treatment consisted of light wire removable appliances which were periodically adjusted.  The light pressure on the teeth facilitated the widening of her teeth within the arches, precluding the need for teeth removals. The appliances also normalized her swallowing pattern from one that was pushing out her front teeth.  Later on, continuing with the Bioesthetic Guidelines, she was treated with braces to finesse the smile esthetics, as well as establishing optimum function, i.e., the teeth now meshed perfectly with the jaw joints in their proper positions in their “sockets.”  From the beginning of treatment, her smile and function were developed with Mother Nature’s success at my back, using the Bioesthetic Guidelines discovered through Dr. Lee’s research study of people with naturally blessed esthetics and function.  She can now look forward to a lifetime of a healthy, attractive smile with teeth that won’t wear down through the years, and a bite that won’t provoke head or neck aches.  I’m glad that I followed my instincts which led me to Dr. Lee, whose research ultimately shaped the philosophy of my dental practice.  I don’t see my patient in the dental chair often any more, as she probably won’t need my services much in the future, but each time I see my daughter Leanne, I’m reminded of how lucky each of us was to have met Dr. Lee.