'Cami's Orthodontic Associates Invisalign Journey' SECOND ENTRY - FREE CONSULTATION!

I am really nervous as I head to my first orthodontic consultation. I don’t like anyone seeing my ‘goofy’ tooth when I smile, let alone it being the center of attention. As I’m driving to my first consultation I’m wondering what they are going to say? You’re too old! There’s nothing we can do for your tooth! Wow that tooth really does stick out!
I walk through the front doors of Orthodontic Associates and nervously make my way to the front desk. I realize then that even as I say my name I am trying to talk without showing my teeth.

‘Just take a seat and we’ll be right with you’

I txt my boyfriend and tell him I am nervous


‘Cami. Cami. Cami Marlowe’

I almost jump out of my seat at hearing my own name. A lovely woman smiles at me and immediately I’m jealous of her smile.

‘Eeeeeeek, do I make a run for it?’

Nope I’m going to follow her. She is very nice & asks me how my day is going as we head back to a consultation room. Then for a brief moment I am aware that she is still talking but I am unaware of much of what she is saying. I know I am grinning (with my goofy tooth sticking out and all) but I’ve just realized how happy I feel to finally be doing something about my tooth.

We start by talking about what my goals are with coming to Orthodontic Associates and how especially as an adult I would like to achieve them. I show her my tooth. She doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t screw her face up. She doesn’t say or do anything except smile (which makes me jealous of her teeth again!) BUT I realize that this is something that she has seen before & something that can not only be fixed but can be done so quickly and inexpensively.

We take some x-rays & then meet with Dr. Mayers. He is very likable and once again I find myself grinning & showing off my goofy tooth. He gives me his analysis of the next step & asks me how I would feel about Invisalign. I have had braces as a child but I’m older now and I talk for a living so he feels that it’s something I should consider.


Dr. Mayers is on the left

Without hesitation I answer that I would like to give Invisalign a go. Even if my voice does sound a little different that’s a small price to pay for the instant confidence a great smile can give you.

He can tell that I’m determined to get the ‘Invisalign’ procedure under-way so we book an appointment for the Invisalign ‘fitting’ & I am heading out the door. As I’m driving home I start to think of all the possibilities.
No you’re not too old! There is something we can do for your tooth! Even though that tooth sticks out there IS something we can do!

For YOUR free consultation, email jgrismore@limasmiles.com

‘Cami’s Orthodontic Associates Invisalign Jouney’ FIRST ENTRY – WHY I WANT TO DO THIS!

I was the baby that was put into baby contests. I was the first born child, grandchild, great-grandchild. I had blond hair, a cute smile & I was always trying to get people to laugh.

Well fast forward a few years & not much has changed, except that I’ve got a much bigger audience & a boyfriend who continues to laugh at my jokes.
I’ve also developed a bit of a thick skin & one way I’ve done that, is not to take myself too seriously. I like to joke around & make fun of myself. However something I’m truly embarrassed about is my ‘tooth.’
I don’t usually smile showing my teeth & I turn to my ‘good’ side so my ‘tooth’ doesn’t stick out. I look like I have ‘bad teeth’ but I’ve only ever had ONE cavity (and that was last year). The reason my teeth look so bad is all because of ONE TOOTH.

(it’s the tooth on the far right)
When I was little I had perfect teeth. My teeth were straight, I brushed them night & day & ate very healthy (no soda pop for me!) So it was a huge surprise at age 13 to discover that I had a baby tooth that had NEVER been pulled out & my adult tooth was still in the roof of my mouth. Next thing you know I’m having an operation, affixed with braces & a slow 2 year process to retrieve the adult tooth had begun. Well life can get busy & when I moved away from my orthodontist after my career took off, I was never able to finish up treatment. So, I just adapted to my ‘tooth.’ I just learned to deal with it & over the years I’ve developed certain mannerisms to cover up my embarrassment. I even have a nickname for it. ‘Goofy.’

As much as I like to joke about it, I really, really hate it. I find it annoying, I hate looking at myself in pictures & it wasn’t until I had to wear a mouth guard that I realized how much it stuck out. My tooth wouldn’t fit with the rest of my teeth inside the mouth guard. (side note - the mouth guard is because I grind my teeth which gives me neck problems, which is due to my crocked teeth).
When I first heard about Orthodontic Associates I just thought it was a place where kids went. I never realized that adults went there too. I had just assumed I would always have a huge tooth that stuck out of my smile & that I’d continue to always be ashamed of it and rely on humor to get by.
Orthodontic Associates offers free consultations so I thought I’ve got nothing to lose so why not? I have a huge jealousy of people with nice teeth especially because I used to have such nice teeth & now, while I have healthy teeth, this ONE TOOTH ruins it all.
The one reason I would want to do this is because I like to laugh. When I laugh I open my mouth & when I look at pictures of myself where I am laughing, I don’t see how happy I am. I see my TOOTH.

While, as you can imagine this is a hugely personal issue for me I want to share my experience with Orthodontic Associates with everyone.
It’s something that will not only improve my smile but ultimately improve my confidence inside & out. AND I can focus on my goofy personality and not my ‘goofy’ tooth.

If you are interested in a free consultation email jgrismore@limasmiles.com

My 3rd Crawfish Boil, my trip back home to New Zealand & playing mini-golf in 90 degree weather!

What a crazy couple of months. I have been so busy that it feels like this year is FLYING by. May has been my favorite month by far. Not only did I get to spend a few days with my boyfriend, but I also got to see his family AND drumroll please ... I got to see my family in New Zealand whom I haven't seen in 4 years.
The month started off relatively quiet. I spent the first weekend not doing a whole lot of anything. BUT week 2 saw us heading to the boyfriends hometown for his family's yearly 'Crawfish Boil!' I look forward to this EVERY YEAR and it GETS BIGGER & BIGGER every year! This year there was more people, more crawfish & A BAND!
It was a great day, really warm with only a sprinkling of rain. My boyfriend's family is exactly like my own family. His mother treats me like her daughter, his brother's treat me like a a sister & I always feel so welcome every time we visit them.

Moving onto the following weekend I had one of the most anticipated trips of my life. Due to numerous reasons mainly involving money and time I have not been able to either take a trip back to New Zealand or see my family for 4 years.
I was really excited to see my mum and I knew she would be the one person that would make me cry when I saw her. Sure enough the tears were flowing.

I was also looking forward to seeing my sisters and meeting my little brother Nathan for the first time.

Needless to say my vacation was incredibly busy but I enjoyed every second.
Here are some highlights: hanging out with my 'little' sister Morgan (she's so grown up),

running to hug my mum at the airport, meeting my brother Nathan for the first time, watching a rugby game out on the town in Auckland with my sister Candace, her boyfriend Matthew & my dad,

going to my favorite place in the world 'Hamner Springs' with my mum, grandparents, sisters & my Uncle Rick & Aunt Marcia where we kept ourselves busy with hot pools, tons of walks & a highly entertaining 6-person tandem bike ride (we also had some great Thai food there too!)

Some other highlights were seeing my Uncle Darryl's Taxidermy displays, spending some much needed family time with my Aunt Pam, my cousin Kate (and her adorable daughter Sophie), my Aunt Lisa, Aunt Marcia & Aunt Janette, eating lunch at the Sky Tower, meeting mum's adorable baby MacKenzie (& of course the super cute Angus) AND last but certainly not least) the incredibly KIWI Fish & Chip dinner!


A really tough part of my trip was seeing the devastation that the February earthquake had had on my hometown. Words can't explain, Pictures don't do it justice. NOTHING but seeing it in person can convey the true extent of the damage.

The one thing that made me realize how proud I am of where I come from was the good old Kiwi spirit. Even though the city was a long way to go and even right now as I write this there have been another series of devastating earthquakes, the good old Kiwi spirit will continue to always shine through. The USA is now my home but as I boarded the plane to leave New Zealand I promised myself it would not be another 4 years.
And lastly to truly top off a great month I got to spend Memorial Day (May 31st) with my boyfriend. We don't get days off together so the odd-vacation day is always a bonus! I arrived back to a BEAUTIFUL day in Ohio and after a much needed (jet-lagged) nap we headed out in 90+ degree weather to play mini-golf. I don't usually enjoy mini-golf but we had a blast! We're both very competitive but my boyfriend ALWAYS wins because he's great under pressure! Me? I always start out strong and always crack under pressure at the end! We ended a great day with a roast that evening.

May has definitely been the month to beat so far this year, although June has been full of adventures which I'll be sure to let you know about soon!! In fact today I'm getting my teeth FINALLY fixed ... watch this space.