Ok, so recently I have felt this big urge to take better care of myself. I wouldn’t say that I have completely let myself go, but I have definitely neglected a few things that I don’t want to neglect any longer. I gained many a pound with Norah and right about the time I would get back into my pre-pregnancy pants, was right about the time that I found out I was pregnant, again and again and again:D But for real! I have said it several times, but I have been pregnant and breastfeeding without a break since late 2011. While I love this with every ounce of my being, those ounces, along with some other poor habits, have really added up, and I am ready to nourish my body in ways I just haven’t been doing well.

I’ve started eating better, juicing again, working out a bit, celebrating the Sabbath with our family, am trying to incorporate several new habits and routines into our days at home and have even committed to taking better care of my teeth! Teeth you say?! Yep! Guys, my teeths be jacked up! A lot of it is due to poor habits, years of not taking better care of them, several weird teeth injuries and then they seemed to have actually gotten worse while pregnant and breastfeeding? Maybe that’s because I have chosen extra sleep over flossing too many times, but anyway, I’m ready to take much better care of and fix my mouth!

I don’t consider myself an insecure person, but as my teeth have continued to shift and their condition has deteriorated, I have found myself becoming insecure about my smile.  I tried finding recent photos of myself smiling confidently in the direction of the camera, and I couldn’t really find any. My go to poses are kiss a baby, look at a baby, laugh at a baby, and have a baby 🙂 I do genuinely enjoy candid photos more than posed ones, but I have definitely noticed that my being insecure about my smile has affected the way I interact with cameras.

With all of that being said, I am so excited to share that I have teamed up with a local dentist to commence ‘Operation Purty Mouth!” I’m not saying I don’t feel pretty or don’t like my mouth, I just think I will like it more with a full set of teeth that line up in a fancier fashion and match one another:D So, over the next few months, I will be sharing this super fun collaboration with you guys!

Meet Dr. Guy Gross.  He’s the man behind ‘Operation Purty Mouth’. Dr. Guy  has been working on some really cool stuff that I had no idea even existed before visiting with him. He and his wife, Dr. Kate, started their family friendly practice, New Horizons together and they’re working really hard to take care of people and boost their confidence with a healthy smile.  Dr. Guy focuses almost exclusively on dental implants, restorative, cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry, along with educating other dentists so they can use these awesome new techniques and technologies to fix up them pearly whites! I’ve been to many dental practices and this was honestly one of the nicest I have ever been to! I was greeted by the friendliest ladies at the desk and one of the first things I saw when I walked in was the little coffee bar! Blessed be! There was plenty of stuff to keep the little ladies entertained and did I mention the coffee? Ok, before I talk any more dental jargon or share with you the details of my experience so far, let me introduce you to my mouth.

To begin, I am missing a tooth that I had to get pulled recently because I most likely cracked it while wrestling Chris in college:D No, I’m not using an innuendo, I have legit broken my tailbone, had double whiplash, had both feet sprained and a had a tooth or several cracked and chipped while wrestling around with friends. So fun, but also maybe a bit costly. I should note, I’ve retired my wrestling career to ensure the safety of all my new teeth and the rest of my body parts. While I am sure that some people are super into missing teeth, I really miss her and am excited to have a new tooth moving in!

Second, I have a tooth we will call snaggletooth whom loves a fresh breeze and is slowly working her way out so she can better feel the full effects of the wind against her sideways self. Dr. Guy gave me several options to correct this tooth and after weighing some options, we decided caging her up with some discrete, comfortable and convenient Invisalign trays would be best to tame her curious and outgoing ways. She’s been a stubborn gal for a long time! You can see me back in my prime when we tried to tame snaggletooth’s wild ways a few years back:D So thankful for the technological advances in dentistry!

 

Last but not least, I’m getting a blue tooth upgrade! When I was a teenager I was being super cool and jumping on the trampoline with a hose. Smart! I was feeling so cool splashing around under the hot summer sun… That is until the metal end of the hose whipped up and broke one of my teeth in half. So lame, but made for a good laugh and a great tan! I had a root canal and a crown put on the broken tooth but over the years she has changed colors, been replaced and popped off many a time. Blue tooth has gone adventuring on her own while white water rafting, hiking, boogie boarding, simply biting into a delicious baked good and one of my all-time favorites, the time she jumped out of my mouth while I was just checking out at the grocery store:D Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds and you have to ask your cashier if they could kindly hand you your tooth:D Blue tooth and I know how to persevere!

I tell you all of this fun history so you can understand how truly grateful I am for this partnership! Let’s go back to where this partnership began. Have you guys ever done a smile virtual consult before? I hadn’t either but am glad I did. Dr. Guy had me submit a couple photos of my teeth to their website and share what I was hopeful to correct about my smile. He then got back to me a few days later with a video highlighting all of the options there were to fix these things; Different procedures, different timelines, different prices and shared some pros and cons of all of them. It was so nice to learn the specific options for my case from the comfort of my couch. Did I mention this was all free?! So cool! . If you’re needing some work done and are wanting to know your options, you have got to check this smile virtual consult out. From there, I made an appointment and went in to meet Dr. Guy. I was super impressed with their staff and facility! This place be fancy! Two words, massage chairs! We then decided what we would do to my mouth and that’s where the fun begins.

A few weeks later, I came back in to begin the implant process. I got nestled into my massage chair, was given a cozy blanket and was just treated so well. Dr. Guy uses a pretty incredible technique that he has been fine crafting and I am super impressed! It’s a minimally invasive, super fast technique that makes for an almost instant recovery, very little pain, no bleeding, no stitches and overall a pretty pleasant experience. I maybe sort of watched him do my procedure via the reflection of an iPhone, and it was seriously so cool. The whole thing from start to finish lasted 6 minutes! And, I was barely sore afterwards. I’ve left wrestling matches feeling much worse. In all seriousness though, I was incredibly impressed with how easy and convenient this procedure was and with, Dr. Guy’s skills and with New Horizons as a whole.

For those of you who might be wondering what exactly an implant is, let me enlighten you. It’s a big ol’ metal post, titanium to be exact, which is what Captain America’s shield was made from. Don’t be silly, that was vibranium, and yes I totally just goggled that. Anyway, that post was literally implanted into my jaw bone where my former tooth used to be using some kind of magic because I saw no blood and felt no pain. Let me repeat, a big ol’ metal rod was implanted into my bones and it didn’t bleed or leave me feeling like I just had a metal rod inserted into my face! The bone will now grow around my new metal buddy and create a replacement “root”, providing a cozy new home for new tooth to go! Welcome home new tooth! This badboy should last a lifetime, and can help prevent further damage to the bone, tissue and other teeth surrounding the implantation site. Plus, ain’t nobody gonna know its fake… except for all of you:D I have been amazed at how many people have shared with me they need an implant since staring this process, so if you’re in need of an implant and have been hesitant because of fearing the process, you need to look into this. You can read more here.

Now let’s move on to Invisalign ! I later met with Chelsea and Dr. Kate to discuss taming ol’ snaggletooth.

I decided on Invisalign because there are two things my husband has asked me not to do since we got married; get bangs or metal braces. So, you’re welcome husband. These trays are for you and sweet snaggletooth. There were no weird gels or molds or alginate that I had to cram in my mouth, just a scan that makes a digital mold of my teeth. Technology is seriously so cool!

After getting scanned, Dr. Kate walked me through what the next few steps would look like. In my specific case, I need 13 trays to get my teeth where we want them. I’m almost 2 weeks in and very impressed to see that my teeth have already shifted! If you’re not very familiar with Invisalign, they’re pretty convenient. You wear each set of trays for about a week, take them out to eat and brush and leave them in the rest of the time. Ideally, the trays should be worn 22 hours a day and, I’ve found that’s pretty easy to manage. Today I’ll start my second round of trays and I kind of can’t belive that this process is so fast! Each case varies, but I’m just so impressed with this technology!

If you are currently looking for a new dentists or are curious about your options, New Horizons has several practices you can choose from! New Horizons Dental Care belongs to New Horizons Dental Practice Management, with 6 other practices in Salina, Wichita, Tulsa, Rossville, Lenexa, Shawnee, Olathe and are continuing to grow.

Thank you so much Dr. Guy and the New Horizons team! We are so thankful to get to partner with you!

(Disclosure: This post was made possible thanks to Dr. Guy Gross and New Horizons Dental team, but all opinions expressed here are my honest opinions.)