How Do You Measure Success?

How do you measure success at the dentist? At Southern York Smile Care in Shrewsbury, PA, success means a smile you feel truly good about. For one person that is a clean checkup. For another it is a new smile, straighter teeth, or simply a visit that did not feel scary.

Dr. Steven Haywood has spent more than 35 years in practice, and every member of the team shares the same aim: results you can see and feel, care that lasts, and visits you do not dread. This article looks at what success can mean for you, and how the team plans for it from the very first visit.

Success starts with your own goals

No two people want the same thing from their smile. Before any treatment begins, the team asks what matters most to you. A few questions can help you think it through:

• Is anything bothering you right now, such as pain, sensitivity or bleeding gums?
• Is there something about the look of your teeth you would change if you could?
• Do you have a date in mind, like a wedding, a new job or a reunion?
• How do you feel about dental visits? Calm, a little uneasy or very anxious?
• What would make you say, "That was worth it"?

Your answers shape the plan. Success is easier to reach when everyone knows where you want to end up.

Success can be a healthy checkup

For many patients, the best news is the simplest: healthy teeth, healthy gums and no new cavities. That kind of result does not happen by luck. It comes from steady home care and regular professional visits.

Every dental cleaning at Southern York Smile Care is a full 60 minutes, so there is time to clean thoroughly and talk about what you are seeing at home. Digital X-rays, which use up to 90% less radiation than older film, and DIAGNOdent, a laser pen that finds early decay, help catch small problems before they turn into big ones. When a problem is caught early, the fix is usually smaller, faster and more comfortable. Learn more about this approach on the preventive dentistry page.

Success can be a brand new smile

For cosmetic patients, success is a smile that looks natural and fits your face. Depending on your goals, a smile makeover may use porcelain veneers, teeth whitening, white fillings, bonding or a gum lift.

Planning is the key. Cosmetic imaging can show you what your new smile might look like before any work begins. The iTero Element 3D scanner takes a digital model of your teeth with no messy putty. Dr. Haywood completed cosmetic training through the NYU Aesthetic Continuum and was seen on ABC's Extreme Makeover. You can see real results in the smile gallery.

When stains are hard to lift

Some stains sit deep inside the tooth. Tetracycline staining, from an antibiotic some people took as children, is a common example. These gray or banded stains often do not respond well to whitening alone. For some patients a stronger whitening plan helps. For others, veneers or bonding are the better path. Success sometimes means helping a person who has hidden their smile for years finally laugh with their mouth open.

When a tooth is missing

A gap in your smile affects more than looks. Nearby teeth can drift, chewing gets harder, and the jawbone where the tooth used to be slowly shrinks. For many patients, success means getting back a tooth that looks and feels like their own. Dental implants replace both the root and the tooth, so the new tooth is anchored in bone. Dr. Haywood is a Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, and the Green CT 3D cone beam scan helps plan where each implant goes. For patients missing many teeth, implant-supported options or well-made dentures can bring back a full smile and the ability to enjoy food again.

Whatever the treatment, the measure is the same. Does it look natural? Does it feel comfortable? Does it work well when you eat and talk? And will it last? A result has to pass all four tests to count as a success.

Success can be straighter teeth

Straightening takes longer than most cosmetic work, but the results are just as striking. Many patients say they value their straight teeth more than any other treatment they have had, because they waited a long time for it.

Southern York Smile Care does not offer metal braces. Instead, Dr. Haywood is an Elite Invisalign Provider and straightens teeth with Invisalign clear aligners, including Invisalign Teen and Invisalign Express. For some adults, instant orthodontics with veneers can change how straight teeth look in far less time. Invisalign can be paid monthly after a down payment, which makes it easier to fit into a budget.

Success can be a calm visit

For some patients, the biggest win has nothing to do with teeth. It is walking out of the office and realizing the visit was fine. If dental fear has kept you away, success may simply mean feeling relaxed in the chair for the first time in years.

The team helps by explaining each step, going at your pace and letting you pause whenever you need to. Sedation dentistry is also available, with oral sedation, for longer visits or for patients with strong anxiety. Oral sedation is a pill that helps you feel deeply relaxed, so you will need someone to drive you home.

How the team keeps success lasting

A great result should last. These habits help protect any dental work you have:

1. Brush twice a day with a soft brush, and clean between your teeth once a day.
2. Keep up your cleanings. Skipped cleanings are one of the main reasons dental work fails early.
3. Wear a night guard if you grind or clench, to protect your teeth and any veneers or crowns.
4. Limit sugary drinks and snacks, which feed the bacteria that cause decay.
5. Speak up early if something feels different, like a rough edge or a sore spot.

Success is shared work. The team does the dentistry, and your daily habits help it last for years.

Let's talk about your smile

What do you want for your smile? At Southern York Smile Care, the measure of success is your complete satisfaction with the result. Kelley Fisher, the Patient Care and Treatment Coordinator, can talk through your plan, insurance questions and financing options such as CareCredit and Cherry.

To meet the team and talk about your goals, call (717) 235-3871 or request an appointment at 4 S. Main St in Shrewsbury, PA. Patients come from Shrewsbury, York, southern York County and northern Baltimore County.

About the authorDr. Steven Haywood, DDS

DDS cum laude 1987, US Air Force residency, NYU cosmetic training and Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, with 35+ years in practice.

Meet Dr. Haywood →