Video Website powered by Einstein IndustriesAesthetic Dental Care of New Jersey

NARRATOR: What's in a smile?

DR. JERRY STRAUSS: Good smile can build the self-confidence that a person really wants to have.

NARRATOR: But often times getting that self-confidence and that good smile means a trip to the dentist. The good news is contrary to popular belief; the experience doesn't have to be like pulling teeth.

DR. STRAUSS: It's okay to have dental fears. We don't make judgments on anyone. We go ahead and we pursue their needs.

NARRATOR: Dr. Jerry Strauss of Aesthetic Dental Care of New Jersey understands dental phobia, and in fact, addresses it head on.

MALE VOICE 2: Dr. Strauss is an avid collector of dental memorabilia. In fact, he has surrounded his entire office with these playful figurines you see right here, that poke fun directly at old school dentistry.

DR. STRAUSS: We've been collecting for years. And they're parodies, and they're funny little objects that show peoples' perception, yet they can take a look at that and laugh. It's a funny way of putting it and in essence it relaxes them.

NARRATOR: Another way Dr. Strauss alleviates common dental fears is with sedation, either with Nitrous Oxide, a pill, or intravenously.

DR. STRAUSS: Bottom line is we can make sure that people are getting the work done that they need, and they're getting it done comfortably.

DR. GLEN ATLAS: This little pump over here is going to be giving you medication through your IV.

NARRATOR: Dr. Glenn Atlas works side by side with Dr. Strauss on every IV sedation case to provide an extra set of eyes and anesthesia expertise for patient safety.

DR. ATLAS: We monitor every aspect of the patients' vital signs with the monitor. Heart rate, heart rhythm, oxygenation, and something called Capnography, which is over here, where we can actually watch the patient breathe on a breath-by-breath basis. It's extremely safe, they breathe on their own, they don't need a breathing machine or a breathing tube, and everything goes just beautifully.

NARRATOR: Mike Patterson says his life was literally transformed by having a complete dental rehabilitation. Take a look at how he looked before Dr. Strauss went to work. When he saw the end result of his total dental makeover, his emotional reaction was so overwhelming, it still resonates in this office.

ROSE: And when we finished inserting the case and showed him the mirror, he not only started to cry but he jumped out of the chair, grabbed Dr. Strauss and gave him a huge bear hug, and lifted him off the floor. He was just so thrilled with the results.

NARRATOR: Other patients, like Marjorie Feinstein who had a smile makeover, and Mark Maltini who had his smile transformed with Invisalign wireless braces, also feel their lives have improved on many levels.

MS. MARJORIE FEINSTEIN: What brought me to putting the veneers on my teeth was that I was not tremendously confident about certain imperfections in my teeth. It went from zero to a million in terms of how I felt after the procedure.

MR. MARK MALTINI: I was shy about smiling. I mean I still smiled here and there. I hid it with my hand sometimes you know. Afterwards, I love it, and I felt different. When I smiled I knew how straight they were now, when I show off my smile.

NARRATOR: This is a high tech dentistry that focuses on its relationship with its patient's, and keeping its own employees familiar with everything new in the dental field. Dr. Strauss and everyone on staff participates in continuing education to stay up to date on the latest technologies, equipment, and materials.

SUZANNE: I'm invited to go to every course. I do try to work that into my family's schedule. And then what we do is we bring back all that knowledge and we have it for the patient's.

NARRATOR: This dentistry features digital radiography procedures, and single visits CEREC porcelain restorations, which can eliminate the need for temporary crowns and multiple appointments. Dr. Strauss has been changing peoples' lives with his expertise for more than 20 years. He's seen his patients come to his dental spa, not only from the New York Metropolitan area, but from all over the country, and even Europe. When they arrive, they're greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable staff, are able to enjoy a massage chair while they wait, an assortment of beverages, and even a paraffin hand bath if they so desire. The focus is on patient comfort, right down to the live reef aquarium, DBD goggles, and lemon scented hand towels that are offered after a procedure. This New Jersey dentist says he knew exactly what he wanted to do professionally when he was six years old. In fact, this picture taken of him in the dental chair in 1960, on what he calls a slow news day, shows a curious child with a dream of one day being on the other side of that chair.

DR. STRAUSS: There I was in the paper, in the dental office, and I could envision myself one day being the dentist, and another child coming in.

NARRATOR: That picture now hangs in the hallway of his practice and serves as a daily reminder to everyone that he's doing exactly what he hoped he would be doing all those years ago.

DR. STRAUSS: I look at that every day on the way in and on the way out, and I say you know what, that's what I wanted to do, and it's like being in a toy store. It's just a real neat thing.