"I always leave here smiling. Happy and confident."

Melissa had been a Wellington resident for years before a friend pointed her toward Smile Designs. By the time she walked in, she'd already been let down twice: two dentists, two attempts at the same crown, neither one right.

Getting it right

The crown had been done poorly. Her bite was off. Chewing was difficult. And every time she laughed or opened her mouth, the metal was visible.

She'd been living with it.

"I met with Dr. Sergio and he was able to do an absolutely amazing job fixing the crown. My bite is perfect. I'm very confident when I smile and laugh and I don't feel self-conscious anymore."

What two previous dentists couldn't get right, Dr. Sergio fixed. That's what specialist-level training looks like in practice, not in credentials on a wall, but in a bite that finally feels correct and a patient who stops hiding her smile.

The unexpected outcome

Melissa started Invisalign for a straightforward reason. She'd noticed in photographs that her front teeth were shifting, and she didn't like what she saw.

What happened next she didn't see coming.

"Look and behold, the most amazing benefit came from them. I was a long time migraine sufferer, needing to take migraine medication a couple of times a week. The Invisalign has completely eliminated the need for the medication. The migraines have all but completely stopped."

Bite alignment and chronic migraines are more connected than most people realise. When the teeth and jaw aren't tracking properly, the surrounding muscles compensate — and that tension has to go somewhere. Correcting the alignment doesn't just straighten teeth. Sometimes it removes pain that's been there for years.

Melissa didn't come in for migraine relief. She came in for straighter teeth. She got both.

What it feels like to be a patient here

"They know who I am when I come in the door every time. If I need somebody to hold my hand during a treatment, they will hold my hand. Literally."

That's not a small thing. For anyone who's ever felt like a number in a dental chair, it's actually everything.

For anyone apprehensive

"I highly encourage you to give it a try. You will not be disappointed."