One of Dr. Ami Barakat’s favorite parts of practicing cosmetic dentistry is helping patients rejuvenate and restore the appearance of their natural smiles. He recently spoke about this topic in his new book Perfecting Smiles Changing Lives, and more with award-winning radio personality Heidi Selexa on her podcast The Heidi Selexa Show. Dr. Barakat joined Miss Selexa for a lively discussion that touched on the relationship between a healthy smile and high self-esteem, as well as how orthodontic treatment and good dental hygiene can help your dating life.

The Heidi Selexa Show

While speaking about how he treats patients of all ages, Dr. Barakat revealed that 40% of the patients he treats with braces are adults. In response to a question about how a crooked smile can affect people’s self-confidence, he used an example of a young patient who had recently visited Villanova Dental Studio for an orthodontic evaluation:

“I just met a 13-year-old girl just this morning actually who has one tooth sticking out and one kind of sort of poking and she just never shows her teeth. I will be helping her out; I promise you that…by the time I’m done with her, [her teeth are] going to be beautiful.”

Dating and Dental Treatment

Once they got to the dating-focused section of the show, Miss Alexa asked about how cosmetic dental treatment can help people improve this aspect of their lives. “Whether we’re doing orthodontics or whether we’re doing some sort of cosmetic dentistry or veneers, you see changes in some of these people’s lives that’s pretty amazing,” Dr. Barakat said. “I had one woman who was recently divorced, and she was having trouble…we straightened her teeth for her, and she’s remarried now, so, she’s really happy.”