Your Mother Fudged A Bit

Despite what your Mother told you, beauty is far from just skin deep.

Ask Dr. Ashish Vashi, a South Pasadena dentist who serves as faculty at the University of Southern California, School of Dentistry and Director on the Board of the San Gabriel Valley Dental Society.

Dr. Vashi says the way we look can shape our self-confidence and from that, even our ability to act and succeed in business and relationships.

“I would say that a smile is a gateway to somebody’s personality and their confidence. What I’ve noticed with a lot of our patients where we’ve been able to improve their smile, it’s changed their everyday persona,” Dr. Vashi says.

“I’ve noticed patients will always come back and tell us how things are going better at work, how much better things are getting in their social life, how much fun they’re having since they’ve had their teeth done,” he says.

Studies support Dr. Vashi’s observations.

How much do looks matter at work? The ugly truth, according to professors Daniel Hamermesh of the University of Texas and Jeff Biddle of Michigan State University, is that unattractive people earn 5 percent to 10 percent less than people of average looks, who in turn earn 3 percent to 8 percent less than those deemed good-looking.

If this data doesn’t convince you it’s time to do something about having better-looking and healthier teeth, then consider this: Dr. Vashi is on a campaign to quash “adversarial” dentistry- that scenario where the dentist scolds the patient for not having perfect teeth and then proceeds to inflict uncomfortable, even painful, remedies.

“It doesn’t have to be that way!” Dr. Vashi says earnestly. “We practice dentistry here with our new technologies and our new techniques which put away all those bad feelings the way dentistry used to be.  Being a younger dentist, I’m very in tune with the technology, the changes in dentistry, how things don’t have to be how they were.”

Dr. Vashi says his office is “different than most dental offices. And what I mean by that is, we take a very personal approach with our new patients and with our existing patients. We have relationships with them.”

One result of Dr. Vashi’s approach is that treatments simply don’t hurt as much or take as long.

“A lot of what we can do here will take as little as one appointment while in the past it would take as many as four or five appointments,” the doctor says.

The new technology results not only in faster treatments but better results.

One example: digital X-rays, which not only expose patients to just a fraction of the radiation of machines from years back but also let the doctor show patients extreme detail on plasma TV monitors he has installed in his office.
From the standpoint of informing and educating patients, Dr. Vashi says, the new technology is ideal.

“The whole thing is to make sure you’re aware, to let you take the proper steps, to see the benefits and then, whenever you’re ready, that’s when we’re here to help you,” Dr. Vashi says. “We don’t push: You have to get this done now!!!! No, in our office you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

He continues: “We have developed our office to be very convenient, to get as much done in one appointment as possible, but also to give the highest quality of care and to always do it in a caring and sensitive way so that itís comfortable.”

Even your Mother would have to agree with Dr. Vashi’s approach.

Dr. Ashish Vashi’s office is located in South Pasadena at 1928 Huntington Drive, Suite B.  For information, please call  (626) 799-1252 or log onto http://www.southpasadenasmiles.com/