Gene Jackson is a charitable man, especially when it comes to children’s charities, but he never imagined that charity would lead him to improve his smile! While browsing the local newspaper, Gene discovered that a dentist in the area was whitening smiles to raise money for St. Jude’s Hospital. He had been unhappy with the way his teeth looked for a long time and believed that St. Jude’s was a worthy charity so he decided to find out more.

He went to see Dr. Barbara Ollech and participated in the Smiles for Life program through her office, a nation-wide program in which dentists raise funds for children’s charities.

Gene was so inspired by the improvement in his appearance that he decided to see if he could do more to make his smile more attractive and his dental health better. Although his teeth were now whiter and brighter, he was unhappy with the overlapping and crowded appearance of his teeth. He realized that he often avoided smiling because of it. 

Using models of his mouth and photographs, Dr. Ollech projected the possibilities of what could be done. They agreed on a treatment plan that combined porcelain veneers and crowns in the shade of his newly whitened teeth so everything would match. Dr. Ollech and her staff helped Gene get his gums healthy to give his teeth strong underlying support and planned a maintenance program that would keep them that way.

Gene shared that one of the things that made the process of his treatment so pleasant was the fact that the doctor called him at home to see how he was doing after some of the longer restorative appointments. “That was when I realized, she’s really concerned about her patients,” Jackson said, “She has a good chairside manner so while she’s working she’s talking to you and making you feel more comfortable.”  He added that he felt confident in Dr. Ollech’s office because she had so much up-to-date technology.  

Four weeks after whitening was done, Gene was able to unveil his new straight, white, dazzling smile to his friends and family. “ I feel more comfortable with myself,” Gene says, “I probably smile more and when I’m talking to people I’m more relaxed knowing that they’re seeing straight white teeth. “ Gene remembers that in the third grade, his nickname was Mr. Smiley because he smiled all the time. He’s happy to be back to living up to that nickname again. “When I first went to Dr. Ollech I was thinking of buying a used car but I did this instead. Best move I made, it really was. I’d do it again,” Gene says.