Dear Dr. Laemmer:
It’s hard for me to put into words how thankful I am for my new smile. When I was small, I was told after every school picture, “How come you have that stupid look on your face? I don’t even want to buy these!” These words were repeated almost every year. One year, in 6th grade, I even tried taking my glasses off, attempting to take away “that stupid look”. Instead, she complained, “ Why would you take off your glasses?” Needless to say, for every school photo, I would be in tears and be physically sick.
As an adult, my being physically sick at photos did not lessen. When viewed, I saw nothing but that, “ugly stupid look”. I found ways of not having my picture taken. I was always the family photographer for every occasion. Since I love to take photographs I became very good at it, and nobody ever made me get into the photo. My wedding pictures I cried through. My stomach sick just knowing I would be the one ruining the pictures. My children each have photo books of their life. Very few pictures of myself are in them. I know this bothers them. They understand how depressed and upset I get.
I have been through therapy; I am a nurse; I have a minor in psychology. I realize these are words of a frustrated parent. The mindset of childhood insecurities (must grow out of). When I am in front of the camera, I am on the verge of tears. My stomach is queezy. My body goes into the fight/flight mode. I tell myself as an adult, it’s only an old reflection from childhood.
Dr. Laemmer took pictures of the work being completed on my teeth and panic hit. I was on the verge of tears. In my mind he did a lot of work - stop acting like a child. Telling myself I would never actually have to see the pictures, I relaxed. “Yes”, I still refuse to see the pictures. Yet, at my dad’s 80th birthday party, I was photographed with the family without being sick and scared. The child is finally gone. My friends love my smile. It has changed my whole life. I even look into mirrors now. I’m thinking about lipstick!
One of the most perfect things is that now, when I bite down to eat, my lower and upper teeth meet. I can actually have a normal bite, which makes chewing normal for the first time in my life. You see, before, when I would bite down, I would get sores on the roof of my mouth due to my over-bite and jaw structure.
When I would bit down, I could slip my thumb between the top and bottom teeth. I had a top plate when I met Drs. Laemmer and Todd. The top plate would fall out even after applying denture glue. In the last seven years I have almost choked to death a dozen or more times. The last time, when I had to give myself the Heimlich maneuver over a chair at home, I knew it was time.
To both Dr. Dave Todd and Dr. Laemmer I feel as lucky as a person you would seen on Extreme Makeovers. That is how much these two did for me. I am a person who loves to make others laugh. Now I can join in without putting my hands over my mouth. Maybe some day I will look at pictures Dr. Laemmer as, just not now.
God bless you both, Karen K.