Joanne's Diary
Thursday 7th January 2010
Today I bought "The Warrington Guardian" and saw a competition advertised......I am very intrigued because it is really calling my name to enter, there is just something drawing me to read the advertisement over and over again. I'll just rip the page out and keep it in my bag for another day. I am so not convinced I would win so why bother?
Friday 8th January 2010
I opened my bag and saw that newspaper clipping again, I read the information again may be I think I may be brave and enter the competition, only one problem ….a picture....I need a close up picture of me, there is absolutely no chance of me finding one of those so I'll have to take one on my phone and email it to myself for later...here goes
How awful is that picture of me?? Now I really do know why I don't have any pictures taken! My daughter Jessica saw the picture and said my smile was "sad", that upset me a little because she is right. Even on my wedding pictures I didn't smile, it's just not me.
Home alone again, Graham is on nights and the children are in bed .Peace at last I am going to do a little Facebooking! Oh no, the little terrors have uploaded my picture to my Facebook profile, thanks kids now everyone gets to see it..
Right may be this is the sign, nothing ventured, nothing gained I am going to enter the competition, 2010 is going to be my year!
I have just been on the website, www.gavinismydentist.com, the competition is listed there as well, it must be a sign I have to enter......I take a look at all the picture profiles, wow what transformations, I can only dream of that happening to little old me.
No going back now I entered online
SUBMITTED – THANKYOU FOR YOUR APPLICAION
Ooh my god I have received a message on my answer machine at home to say I have been successful with my entry and need to go to the surgery for a consultation. The message was left by Kerry and she said that she would call back.....I am so excited
Nearly a week has gone by and no call, maybe it was a dream? Should I call back or would that be too eager?
How ironic Kerry has just called back. I have to go for my consultation next week. I am not going to tell anyone just yet in case I tempt fate.
The consultation.......well that was a bit surreal, it was very relaxed, no major traumas normally associated with me going to the dentist. Gavin and Kerry were really nice and made me feel totally at ease. I should find out next week if I make it to the final "5". I won't hold my breath though I'll not win....
Thursday 18th February 2010
I have just been chatting to my best friend Joanne and she was asking me if I had heard anything about the competition, I had completely forgotten that today was the day, but it is 6:30pm so looks like it is a Thanks but no thanks Joanne!
That is so weird Kerry has just called from Gavin Laidlaw.....I have got in to the final "5".....HURRAH!!!!!! Wednesday 24th February here I come!
Monday 22nd February 2010
I received my letter today confirming the final placing; now it is all so very real, I didn't dream it I did get to the final. I told all my friends at O2 today, they couldn't believe it, I put a note on Facebook too and got loads of best wishes from excited friends.....even I am getting a little excited now, especially as I don't know what to expect.
Wednesday 24th February 2010
The big day has arrived..... Jessica asked me why I was going to the dentist at 7:00pm, bless her she is a little confused...I am very nervous as I really don't know what to expect?
7:00pm no going back now I am here with all the other finalists, who look so deserving. We were all so nervous no one wants to reveal their teeth to each other it is so funny! At least I was first in, now just have to wait and see who will win....ah never mind I tried!
8:20pm – Oh my god....did Gavin really say my name????...NO definitely it can't be me I never win anything.....I think I looked a little bit stunned, this is so not happening to me!!
I WON!!!!!!!!!!!
8:45pm I called my husband Graham to let him know the result and I could hear the children screaming with excitement in the background. I put an update on my Facebook page and my phone didn't stop ringing for half an hour. When I got home Jessica said "Smile mummy you're not going to have a golden tooth anymore and be sad!"
Thursday 4th March 2010
My first smile makeover appointment. I have had pictures taken of every angle and inch of my mouth...very strange....very surreal....I didn't know my mouth was so famous!
Gavin explained the process of what would happen and what all the different shots were for. He and Kerry made me feel totally at ease, it wasn't like going to a dentist at all! Even the visit to Lisa the hygienist was relatively painless, which normally I dread. Nothing is too much trouble for all the staff.
Just loving it.....I might not be saying that next week when I have all my preparation work done.......within 6 weeks I'll have my new smile, 6 weeks and a new me will arise!!!!
Saturday 20th March 2010
It's "D" day …..The day has finally arrived for the preparation to begin. 9:30am things will never be the same again.
...and so it begins......I was full of nerves and apprehension of what would happen today, the fear of the unknown is sometimes worse than the actual fact! A whole dentist surgery all to myself...now that's unique! Once again Gavin and Kerry made me feel so at ease for the long haul of preparation and so the treatment began, my mouth was well and truly numb and yet not even the injections hurt as they went in, now that is a first, how fabulous this is I can cope with treatment with no pain!
I watched Saturday Kitchen with the lovely James Martin on the screen above me as the work below continued by Gavin and Kerry. At last my preparation work was complete, now for the temporary set of teeth. At that point I could feel my stomach churn with anticipation, what was it going to look like? How would I feel? regrets? sadness for the loss of the old teeth? (Maybe not!!)
Drum roll the moment arrived ….the mirror.....OOH MY GOD....this is so not me looking back in to the mirror.....what a total transformation...I am so shocked, stunned, amazed, never in my wildest dreams did I think that my smile would look so different.
Even though this is only the temporary set until the real thing arrives in April, I can't believe the change.
I drove home, checking my mirror over and over again (any excuse to check out my new smile!). When I got home the welcoming committee was there waiting. My husband Graham was shocked; he said he never thought I would look so different. Now for the big test...the children......
Emily just stared at me in amazement....."Are they really yours mum?" she said. Jess said "Mummy, Mummy your teeth are lovely you've lost your golden tooth....are you sure they are yours?, they're not going back later are they?" and Ben....aah Ben, he just stared at me blankly...not a sound, not a movement and then he came over to me and tapped my teeth...ha ha how funny even the big man had noticed my new look, it must be good!
Graham took a photo of me for the family album and I posted the transformation picture on my Facebook profile too. I also send a text message to my friend Joanne.....she was speechless (and that is truly remarkable if you had ever met my nutty friend! She thought they were stunning and couldn't believe how different they made me look. She couldn't....me I was still in awe of my new look, I must of checked the mirror a 100 times, just making sure I hadn't dreamed it all.
I took Emily and Jessica to watch Alice in Wonderland 3D. My mouth was just returning to normal activity after the numbness subsided (believe me it is so hard to drink even a glass of water when you are totally numb!) Jess kept asking if I was OK. And were my teeth OK? Bless her!
This really has been a momentous day....things will never be the same again...I will never be the same again....History in the making....a new era has begun!
Sunday 21st March 2010
My first day back at work after my temporary transformation, I didn't say anything at first when I got in to work, I just wanted to see if anyone noticed a difference in my appearance, needless to say it didn't take long....a grand total of 2 minutes!!. I was the talk of the call centre on an otherwise dreary Sunday morning. It did feel just a little bizarre people speaking to my teeth and not me! My friend Joanne kept apologising for staring at my teeth, she said that she couldn't stop looking at them because they looked so good. Today was my first real day of eating and drinking using my new teeth, even that felt a little strange a bit like trying to learn to eat again. I was also conscious that I sounded like I had a lisp, (I didn't really, just that everyone said I even sounded different, gosh it's one thing looking different, but another when you sound different as well!)
I must have gone to the bathroom about a million times today just to check I still had my new teeth in...Just in case they ran away!
I can truly say today was like a whole new smiling me...
Thursday 25th March 2010
Well what a surprise I had today, I was busy taking calls in the call centre at O2 when my mobile rang, it was my friend Lynn, she was so excited she said "Jo you're famous...you're in The Warrington Guardian Page 2"....How funny...I went to the work shop and bought a copy and low and behold ...she was very right, there I was little old me, my name in print
"A WINNING SMILE FOR JOANNE"
That was so not what I expected of today....When I went to school to pick my daughters up I was stopped at least 10 times...."is that you in the Guardian today??"...Wow I really am famous HA! HA!...even my next door neighbour George came out to greet us when we got home, the news had spread near and far, everyone wanted to look at my new teeth.!
Friday 9th April 2010
I am all full of nerves again, tomorrow is the big day...the day my permanent winning teeth arrive...I wonder what I will look like? Surely it can't be as dramatic as last time? Or will it? Who knows? I can't believe how quickly the time passed. When I first entered the competition it seemed so much just like a dream that would never come to fruition and now in 24 hours the transformation will be 90% complete. I say 90% because I have my hair done on Friday at Johnsons Hairdressers in Warrington and then it's the big reveal with the newspaper. I am really nervous about the hair, as my hair is a big thing in my life and has been for most of it. It is kind of like the one thing that got me through my hang up's about my teeth all these years. It was always my saying that if people were looking at my hair then they wouldn't be looking at my teeth!
Saturday 10th April 2010
Today was the "New Teeth Day", what a gorgeous sunny day it was to begin my new adventure.
Another lot of injections and preparations (the temporary teeth were removed). At least this time it wasn't a long morning, I was totally surprised how quickly Gavin and Kerry set to work in removing the old and inputting the new. I had already seen the new teeth on the cast, but in my mouth....well what to expect I just didn't know? I was shocked, stunned, AMAZED...WOW! WOW! WOW! My new teeth were revealed. This is the best day ever...my new teeth magnifico!!!!
When I got home the welcoming committee were waiting again (the final judging from my children always the most important!)....Thumbs up....A-OK! A SUCCESS....THEY LIKE THEM!
I keep glancing at myself in the mirror. I wish I had had my teeth treated years ago, they are totally fantastic, never in my wildest dreams could I have thought they would look so good...yes my teeth look soooooooo good!
Friday 16th April 2010
I had a really great day today, not only is it my wedding anniversary (16 years!), but I had a treat at Johnsons Hairdressers in Warrington, my stylist for the day was a lovely lady called Carline, she has done me proud a gorgeous cut and highlights...I really am lucky...all this as part of my Smile Makeover prize!.
Then it was off to the dentists again.....no more treatment!....just a final photo shoot with The Warrington Guardian., all this smiling-I am not used to it! The photographer took some great shots of my new smile; it is really easy to smile now with my "Star quality teeth". I love smiling and I didn't think I would ever say that in a million years.
Well it's all over now...the final reveal has happened, the end of the road, the new beginning. This really has been the best thing to happen to me in years. Gavin and all his staff have been amazing and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. I could never have dreamed that this would happen to me. It just goes to show, dreams really do come true.
"A whole new smiling me – today is the beginning of a new era!"
Thank you all
