HOUSTON – Can you imagine?
Actually being afraid to smile?
Terrified to show any happiness because you hate, absolutely hate, your teeth?
Fourteen-year-old Daphne Bustos never smiled, ashamed of her dark, discolored teeth.
They were discolored after she was hit in the mouth with a baseball at a young age and required several years of surgery.
Angela Goods, a former Walmart manager, felt the same way, refusing to show her crooked, gap-toothed smile.
The prospect of buying veneers and paying for cosmetic dentistry were out of the question.
“They told me, to fix my smile it was going to cost about $10,000,” Goods said. “My heart sank to the floor because I don’t have $10,000, but I don’t want to look like this either."
That’s when Angela heard about Dr. Terri Alani, a Houston dentist offering a revolutionary cosmetic tooth appliance called Snap On Smile.
It is a device that literally snaps into place, offering a Hollywood smile at a small fraction of the cost of traditional veneers.
“If they were doing just upper veneers, it could run $20,000, whereas a Snap On Smile runs anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 for the entire appliance. So we’re talking a savings of thousands of dollars … and hope for people who never thought they could afford to fix their smile," Alani said.
Getting the Snap On Smile begins with a thorough dental exam.
Cavities must be filled, gums must be healthy, and teeth must be healthy.
Alani will not place a Snap On Smile over unhealthy teeth.
The next step is for impressions to be taken.
Your new resin-based Snap On Smile is built to fit right over your existing teeth without drilling, without shaving or altering your teeth in any way.
Who are the best candidates?
“If you have crooked teeth, if you have discolored teeth, if you have space between your teeth, you come in and see us, and we’ll get you taken care of because 80 percent of the patients who come to us are really good candidates,” Alani said.
Four weeks after her first appointment, Angela Goods is about to get her new Snap On Smile.
And, her reaction is life-changing.
“Oh my goodness, this is beautiful! I never expected it to look like this. Oh my gosh!”
“Oh, Lord, Jesus, this is so awesome!” says Angela.
In just four weeks, Angela’s smile has gone from dreadful and depressing to simply gorgeous.
Instead of paying the $10,000 she was originally quoted by a different dentist, Angela winds up paying just $1,650 bucks, saving more than $8,000.
And, the affect it has had on her life is even bigger.
“I’m now willing to talk more, I’m able to greet people when they come to my church.
I just don’t have any limitations holding me back anymore, really, because I now have a beautiful smile,” says Angela.
And, what about Daphne, who is getting ready right now to celebrate her quinceanera?
Channel 2 News was there when she first saw her new Snap On Smile.
“Oh, I’m going to start to cry. I love it!” Daphne said.
Daphne didn’t say much at the time.
The tears streaming down her face said it all.
The Snap On Smile comes in multiple shades of white.
You can eat with it, drink with it, but you have to take it off before going to sleep.
It is not a permanent solution.
It is a transitional appliance made for you to wear on your way to getting more traditional cosmetic dentistry.
Still, for people who cannot afford expensive cosmetic dentistry, it is an answer to prayers.
We have much more information on the Snap On Smile included in the website below.
The Snap On Smile is designed to last 3-5 years with regular use.