See What Makes Us Shine in Our Belfair Patient Testimonials

I love to make recommendations to people when I feel like I’ve had something, you know, a service or some kind of experience. I think it’s always helpful to hear from someone who has been to a place. And I feel like with this office, they are just so professional and so good at what they do that I can recommend them to anyone without hesitation.

I think I cannot imagine a better team. They are all very professional. You can tell that they’ve had a lot of training, that they care about what they do. They did a great job of making me feel comfortable.

Some of the visits were longer than others, and I always felt like they were very attentive. In terms of skill, I think they are leaps and bounds above anybody else, any other office I’ve been to. I’m very comfortable in saying they’re in the top tier in the country as far as skill and knowledge. I can’t say enough good things about them.

Prior to treatment, I had orthodontia for about five years to correct a diastema, a space between my front teeth, and I also had a tooth that hadn’t come down as an adult. And so, the spacing issues were corrected with braces, but I was five years in braces. And then when I got through with the braces, I liked my smile except for, my teeth were smaller than I wanted. I always felt like that was something that needed improvement. I went ahead and did veneers. I tried to get them as big as they would let me, bigger then better. The veneers also were combined with some gum surgery, that was done because they had to keep in mind what would work for my bite and all of that.

I felt like they really listened to me and my concerns. I felt like they made adjustments to, initially, we did impressions, and we kind of did a first look in the office of this is what it may look like, this is what we think you’re trying to achieve. And then they were able to take my feedback along with, of course, professional opinion on what would actually work for my bite and everything else. The entire thing was really seamless, and painless, and it was quick. I don’t know very many things that you can do that change your appearance so much that require so little downtime, and that gives you a result as quick as you’re able to get.

I think they did an amazing job of making me feel comfortable and making me feel confident. It’s a lot of time and money that you invest in the process, and I really felt like they considered my opinion, and were led by what I wanted. I feel like I got everything that I wanted. I would say, quite a bit better result than even I expected to get. And I went in with a good expectation to begin with, but even better when I saw the finished product. I feel completely comfortable, it feels very natural to me. I feel like these are the teeth I was born with, and I have no problems playing that off as if they really were the teeth I was born with. I really did get what I wanted, and it’s rare to have that happen in anything where you’re working with a creative process.

I would say number one, the expertise. Number two, the staff here is just excellent. And number three, the results and the follow-up on your process, whatever treatment you’re having is great. So, I would highly recommend Dr. Studerus and his staff. They’re all very well educated and trained. And they do try to take into consideration the wants of the patient.

It just means a world of difference for me. Go into a room, I am not afraid to go and talk to people and smile. You know, I have a new sense of confidence I think after all of these years. I was always a happy person. It just would bother me to try and smile in front of people and not anymore. I just, I feel a new sense of who I am and confidence. So, it’s made a big difference in my life.

Originally, I had a lot of problems because of earlier dental work, because we moved a lot and I wasn’t consistent in my care. And I had issues that stemmed from earlier poor treatment, I guess you could say. When I came here, it was like Dr. Scott inherited some of these problems and he had to solve them. I think he did an excellent job. There were many issues with…because I was growing older, you know, certain things happen as you age, and he was able to address those issues. And recently, having the veneers was a huge improvement for me. I was just elated to have that done. I learned a lot through the process. I was interested and intrigued how they were able to accomplish that. They show you befores and afters, and explained about the process. It was a lot more complicated than I thought.

Originally, I thought you just pop these things onto your teeth and there you go, but it was a lot more than that. They addressed other issues, like I had an implant done as well as the Veneers. So I felt like when I left I had learned a lot about dentistry. They were really concerned not only about the aesthetics of it, but how comfortable I would be with the result. And I explained during the process, you know, because you got to choose the color of your teeth. And because I’m older, I didn’t want to have these brilliant white teeth sticking out. It would just not look age-appropriate. So that’s what I asked for, was something that was white but didn’t show up like I’m walking in with these huge white teeth flashing. It looked more like someone my age.

I had a few other things that they addressed and that was because my smile was crooked. It’s just a muscle thing in my face, and I have lived that way all my life. That’s part of my look, and so, you know, I didn’t want them to try to change that part of it. That was part of me, and they addressed that also. I feel like this is me, and I am not afraid to smile anymore. Growing up, I, a lot of times, just did a covered teeth look and smile and it just always bothered me. The issues that I had were never corrected over the years. And so, I was just so happy to have a smile that I didn’t have to be embarrassed about. You know, I could just go ahead and grin and laugh, and smile all I want.

They’re excellent. All of the assistants and all of the hygienists are very personable. They’ll sit and they’ll talk to you before your treatment. And sometimes during your treatment, you can’t always answer, but they’re very, very comforting and friendly. I don’t have anxiety coming here, but I know a lot of people do. And I think that’s helpful, just the relaxed atmosphere.

You know, my biggest fear is I was in construction. It didn’t matter. You know, I was missing a few teeth, a jacked-up smile. I used to always, you know, cover my mouth when I talked or smiled, or whatever. I would, you know, cover my face. So that’s been, you know, instrumental for me to have teeth, to be able to smile with teeth and not worry about it. So, I mean, that is, like, stuck in my head.

The whole Make Me Smile Program and then being able to smile, like, that’s a big deal. If you’ve never been missing teeth and you don’t know what that’s like, the embarrassment and the anxiety, especially on a professional level, you know, coming from construction to college to the business world, it’s, like, “You know, what am I going to do?” You know, like, “Who’s going to hire me with missing teeth and my face?” I mean, it’s a huge fear. So that’s been one of my biggest things. Smile, it’s a new thing.

I think it’s nice because Scott does…You know, they do their own anesthesia and all that kind of in-house, you know. So, there’s not like a lot of different people circulating in, you know. It’s all one room, him and the assistant, Jackie or someone else. And it’s all done right there. You know, they make you feel comfortable. It’s, like, “Does it hurt?” You know, we can take a break or give you more pain meds,” whatever, and comfort care, I guess. So, yeah, I never really felt scared, I guess.

Well, when I look back on my wedding photos and all the close-ups before I had this done, I wish I could go back and redo my wedding pictures because seeing my smile now in photographs makes me more confident and more comfortable. I’m excited for future life events.

I don’t mind taking pictures, whereas, like I said, I wish I could redo my wedding pictures because of the discoloration in my teeth and everything. So, it builds a lot of confidence to have teeth that I’m comfortable with.

Originally when I had seen a previous dentist in my high school years, I had orthodontic work done, braces. They got my teeth straightened out and everything, but I had a tooth that was smaller. I had a missing tooth. Then they tried to accommodate that by putting a filling or a cap over my peg tooth, my small tooth. And then they put in a retainer to make up for the missing tooth.

And although there was teeth where there were supposed to be teeth, it didn’t look real. And you could see on my filled tooth, you could see that there was a color difference of my real tooth and the capped tooth. And then just talking and eating and everything, I had that retainer that was in there. It worked because I wasn’t missing any teeth visually. But then the functionality of it, eating and feeling like people were staring at my teeth, the discoloration, all that was dissatisfying.

To be able to come here and for them to go through the whole process of giving me a bridge and veneers, and they asked about the shape of the teeth. They asked about the color of the teeth, and they really involved me with my opinion about what I wanted and what I thought about the vision for my smile. It wasn’t just their vision for my smile. It was what I was gonna be comfortable and confident with. And so, they really involved me with all that.

The process of going from a trial smile up until they put on the real deal, that’s quite a few months of appointments and trialing things, and getting my gums healed, and everything. During that whole process, they told me the steps before we even started that we’re gonna try on two different trial sets and before we put your permanent ones on. And preparing my teeth, prepping my teeth before, that’s quite a process, too.

And they’re always informative and during the process, always making sure that I’m comfortable and that I’m numb, that I’m not feeling anything. If I felt like I was, then they would immediately numb me back up and no questions asked of, like, “We’ve already given you a lot of numbing medications.” Never a doubt, they’re always very right on it when I needed something.

This recent stuff I got done with my teeth, they made everything very comfortable. You’d come in, make sure you’re comfortable in the chair, making sure the headrest is good, and then they even put a blanket over you if you’re cold. If you’re too hot, they’ll adjust it. So, it’s coldness of the room, they’ll put blankets on you.

Don’t just do stuff, they’re always explaining what they’re gonna do before they do it, which is nice for somebody that is concerned, and they wanna know what’s going on. They always have the eye protection for you, and they make it as comfortable as it can be being at the dentist.

He’s wonderful. He is always smiling. He’s a big goofball is what I think of him. I’ve known him for quite a few years, and always shakes your hand, calls you by name, and he always remembers what you had said the last time, what you’re gonna be doing. So it’s just amazing memory because I’m sure he has a bunch of patients, but it always feels like he knows you as a person.

When he’s doing care, he’s always asking, “Are you doing okay? How’s that feeling?” And throughout the whole procedure, even just feelings or something, he’s always asking how you’re doing. So it’s very comforting that he’s not just narrow-tunnel vision and getting the job done. He’s caring about how you’re doing during the procedure.

The team is all real close and personable. They’ve been in the community for since I was in high school and even before that. And they always know me by name. They know my family. They always ask how I’m doing. So, very personable. And then during care, they’re always asking, “How are you doing? How are you feeling?” They’re never just there to get the job done.

They’re always making sure you’re emotionally okay and doing what we need to be done. And it never feels like they’re trying to push to do unnecessary things. They’re always very communicative about things and saying what they think should be done, “Here’s your options.” So, it’s just very open communication, which I enjoy.

I’ve been losing a lot of teeth. They’re rotten away. Yeah. I was a smoker. I am a smoker, I should say. You know, I mean, I brushed my teeth, but still, I wasn’t getting them clean regularly like I was supposed to have. I just decided I really needed to start taking care of my own life. You know, my wife agreed that, you know, you’ve gotta take care of you, too, not just us. You gotta take care of everybody.

And I did have options. I mean, I could have gone just to fix that one. We could have gone with an implant on the other one. Other ones he was looking at, yeah, we would need a crown. The ones I lost, yeah, we would probably have to put implants. But then when he was examining my mouth, he goes, at my age, at that time, it’s my option. “So, yeah, you could get a plate. Yeah, you don’t really need to do the implants, but your gums are doing good right now. Being a smoker and all that, yes, they’re gonna deteriorate.”

So, he goes, “This would be the best time to do it.” And so, I did wait then. I mean, it took time. It was about a mo4nth after we went through all this, and I went back and talked to the family, “It’s what I would like to do just for me.” And that way, I could show my big smile that I didn’t have for a long, long time because I know my mouth wasn’t doing very well. So, it was being…just to be able to eat again, not worry about am I gonna lose a tooth.

And everything got explained correctly to me. You know, that was the whole thing, being everything explained from step one to step two, “We’re going to do this. We’re gonna do our impressions. We’re going to do this.” And I must have had five, six impressions because the doc said it’s not going to be a one-time thing. Your mouth changes, and they took their time. They made sure everything was right.

You know, there were a few times my mouth did change. Okay, we had to redo it. Let’s get this done. You know, and it took from start to finish to get all my finals was about a year. You know, I got the tops done first. I got them before. And it took a while for the bottoms. I think that that’s how it went. But they wanted to make sure everything was gonna work, align, have your bite so, you know, you don’t have an overbite, underbite, and make sure everything is properly done.

I will never regret what I did. It was the best money I’ve ever spent in my life. Made my life a lot better. I could go out and enjoy people. I have a big smile. I mean, I wasn’t able to be myself. Now I can. I could be able to smile, help other people laugh. And I could show off my smile. “Oh, you got pretty teeth.” “Well, I can tell you where to go get yours fixed.”

One word would be terrific, reason why they took me in to take care of me. I could have lost my life because of what I did when I had a bad tooth, and I had to get it pulled, you know? So, after that, it’s changed my life totally with the dental profession. You know, before it was, yes, everybody was afraid. Not anymore. I have something hurting or whatever, I’m coming in. I want to get it fixed.

Death is not good. If you don’t take care of your mouth, that’s the worst thing people do. They don’t take care of it, and a lot of people don’t know you could die from that, or pass away, or whatever. And I said I wasn’t gonna do that. And doc was the one that recommended me when I had to have one because he couldn’t do it. He had somebody and he said, “You go now.” And I did.

And you take your wife because you can’t drive when you get done. The guy did good that did it and come to doc, “Okay, doc, you’re mine. I’m not going nowhere else.”

They always ask me how I’m due, and they kind of calm me down at first when you come in. They’re always talking. They get you back, you know, into your little comfort zone. You know, I know a lot of people, they need their Novocaine and stuff like… I don’t.

The dental back since I was a kid to now has changed. It’s totally different procedures, better equipment than we had when I was a kid. That’s why I tell people, don’t be afraid. It’s not like it used to be. It’s got better over the years. I’m 66, so I’ve seen a lot of different dentists in my lifetime and watched how everything’s improved on the quality of the new machinery, their equipment, you know, everything’s up to date.

Doc is excellent. He’s my bud. I mean, he’s in with me to his old cars, stuff that he likes and I like to do. And then plus, you know, his medical profession. You know, he’s the one that… You know, he told me, “We’re gonna get your mouth back to where it belongs. And you could have a good life and you could smile again.” You know, because my teeth were kind of rotten. And that’s just the way they were. I didn’t take care of them.

And I told him. I went up right up front and told him about it. He said, “Well, we will take care of it.” Doc’s my buddy. He’s the best guy I ever met. No questions I asked. Any problems, I could call him day or night. I have his number. He’ll call me right back or he’ll leave, you know, whatever. But, you know, and I got the girl’s number so I could always call and, “Hey, I can wait for a while to do this,” or whatever the case may be.

The staff is excellent. There’s not one person here that I do not like. I mean, my lady that always cleans my teeth…I forget what they call them…I’ve had her for five years. She’s sweet. We have a good time. Talk about family, what’s going on because she’s got a family. And, you know, I like to intermingle with them to see what they’re like, too, just as they like to intermingle with my life to make sure, hey, I am not doing good or, “How are you doing, Ray?” “I’m doing good, you know.” But the staff is probably one of the best I’ve ever had.

I would gladly recommend Dr. Studerus to anyone that is looking for a new dentist. You know, he does excellent work. I’m just happy. I’m overjoyed. I’m more than satisfied like I’ve, you know, said before. And I have no hesitation with recommending him at all. I think he’s topnotch in his…well, everything, the approach, you know, the things he offers, and his skill. And I’m just… I have no hesitation. Yeah, I recommend them.

I think what it was was just the overall appearance. I smile more now because I’m more confident because of the most recent dental work. I mean, I’ve had braces many decades ago. Over time, the teeth kind of moved back. And so I was not really satisfied with my smile, the overall look. So when I had this work done, it gave me a lot more confidence.

He…I’m talking about Dr. Studerus…keeps me well-informed. He does give various options. Pros and cons, I think he covers everything. And then, I never feel any pressure to make a decision one way or another. I just feel like he has my best interests at heart. He has the skill and knowledge, and training, and, well, the caring. He’s very caring, and I just trust him. And so he gives me everything I need to make a quality decision.

I love the outcome. I think I smile a lot more. No, I just… It’s a confidence booster. I feel more relaxed around people in general. And I meet… I’ve been meeting a lot of new people in the last year. And I don’t even really think that much about my teeth because it’s like everything’s been taken care of that, you know, that mattered. And so I just feel like I’m more relaxed and confident in social settings. It was a big bonus getting the work done.