Shannon's Story

“This is going to be a lot of work…but we're going to do it.” 

- Shannon

“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.

She felt she was onto something—it seemed so relaxed and fun. As soon as she walked in, she felt at ease; and then came Dr. Tabib’s reassuring words. This was the right place. That memorable first visit was in September of 2019. By October of the same year, she would have her first set of temporary veneers on the top and bottom; and just a few months later, the work was all done! Choosing to spend a lot of time in a dentist’s office during a global pandemic may seem high-risk, but Shannon reports feeling very safe thanks to temperature checks before every visit, text check-ins, a patients-only policy in the office, staff’s thorough attention to PPE, and a state-of-the art extraoral-suction air purifier—basically a high-powered vacuum that pulls air from near the patient’s mouth and purifies it before recirculating it into the room.

Now, Shannon’s bite is rebuilt with a favorable inter-arch distance. Her teeth are long enough that she has a proper and healthy bite. Dr. Tabib has sculpted veneers for her with the subtle, ridged anatomy that teeth are meant to have, which makes Shannon’s smile naturally beautiful. The color of her teeth is bright-white and uniform, and she feels so much more confident, laughing and smiling as she pleases. She no longer worries about smiling for photos or meeting new people the way she did before her smile makeover.