Amir Wally/Courtesy photos: Amir shows off his new smile.

Back in 2016, 25-year-old Amir Wally was at a low point in his life. He was out of work and searching for prospects. Then, out of nowhere, he was offered a job that became the steppingstone to a successful career. He calls the initial offer a “miracle.” 

“I believe it was an act of God because I wasn’t looking for it,” declares Amir, 31. “The job involved walking door-to-door passing out cards for a local tree company. They trained me and told me what to do and where to go. It was steady work. 

“After a couple of years, I got more serious about the job. I started getting higher positions within the company and learning more about trees. I became interested in horticulture and arbor care and made a career out of it. Today, I’m an estimator for tree removal for the company.

“My company travels around Florida and improves people’s properties. We maintain trees and do all types of arbor care, servicing residential and commercial properties. My favorite thing about the job is meeting people and having them get really excited about how their property looks when we’re done.”

For anyone representing a company publicly, it pays to have a dazzling smile. For years, though, Amir’s teeth had taken a beating from uneven wear, improper dental work and risky activities. 

“For fun, I practice mixed martial arts and boxing,” Amir offers. “Through that, I lost one tooth and another broke. So, my teeth have been through a lot of wear and tear. Then they started to deteriorate. 

“While living overseas, I got braces, but the dentist took out more teeth than he should have. I stopped in the middle of the treatment and moved back to America, and since then I’ve never been comfortable with my smile or confident smiling in front of people. So, I mastered a half-smile for most of my life.”

Seeking a more aesthetic appearance, Amir turned to a long-time family friend: Huda Aljonaidy, DDS. The founder of Blossom Dental and Facial Aesthetics in Ormond Beach, Dr. Aljonaidy is skilled in all aspects of comprehensive dentistry.

Long-Term Vision

“When Mr. Wally first came to me, he told me, I had a few teeth pulled, and I just want them back,” Dr. Aljonaidy explains. “After my examination, I realized I would not be able to help him with standard protocols. His request required more extensive dental work.

“One of the reasons for that was because Mr. Wally did not immediately replace the teeth that were pulled. Teeth are dynamic; they shift, and when his teeth shifted they did not close the gaps where the teeth were missing. As a result, he had gaps in his smile that were noticeable but too small for restorations.”

Dr. Aljonaidy recommended moving Amir’s teeth back to their original position in the mouth and enlarging the existing gaps using Invisalign® clear aligners. The dentist would then place dental implants in the widened gaps to restore the missing teeth.

“Invisalign is a series of clear aligners that move teeth 1/10 of a millimeter per week,” Dr. Aljonaidy educates. “For example, if we want to move the teeth two millimeters, the patient must wear the aligners for 20 weeks. It is a very safe level of force.

“The program uses computer software to determine where the teeth will go, and the Invisalign aligners fit like a glove, moving the teeth in a hugging manner so no pressure is placed on the roots.

“That was critical in treating Mr. Wally because he had a horizontal fracture in one of his roots. That wasn’t a problem, though, because Invisalign moves teeth without compromising the root. It also forms a biological scar around the root that stabilizes it.”

The Invisalign phase of Amir’s treatment plan took about a year. In the lower arch, the program successfully closed the gaps to a point where no bridges or implants were needed to fill in the spaces where teeth were missing.      

“In the upper arch, we were able to make the gaps larger and exactly mimic where the missing teeth had been,” Dr. Aljonaidy reports. “To fill those gaps, I placed dental implants at three sites: one on the right side, one in the front and one on the left side.”

Dental implants are root-shaped, screw-like bodies that are surgically placed into the jawbone. Once in the jawbone, new bone naturally grows around the implants to form the foundation for an abutment and replacement teeth.

The replacement teeth can be a crown that is cemented or screwed onto the abutment, a partial bridge that can be affixed to one or more implants, or a full denture that can be fastened to a series of implants.

“In Mr Wally’s case, the implants were like the finishing touches on what is now a full-arch smile,” Dr. Aljonaidy says. “But the key to it all was Invisalign. Without Invisalign, I would never have been able to give him dental implants or fully restore his smile.” 

“Better for Business”

Dr. Aljonaidy’s long-term vision for Amir’s smile is a reality. Amir is thoroughly pleased with the outcome of his treatment at Blossom Dental and Facial Aesthetics. 

“I’m so happy with my smile,” he enthuses. “I have a full set of teeth, which is pretty cool, and I don’t feel self-conscious. I don’t feel like I have to hide my smile from people. I smile 100 percent more now, and it works out better for business. I’m more confident, which gives me more sales.”

Amir has high praise for the dentist who restored his smile and self-esteem.

“Dr. Aljonaidy is not just the best dentist I’ve ever had, she’s also one of the best human beings I’ve ever met,” he raves. “She’s a very sweet and nice person who cares about what she does and goes above and beyond for her patients. 

“And she’s changed my entire outlook on dentistry. Dr. Aljonaidy making me comfortable with my smile really made a difference in my life. I wouldn’t recommend anybody else.” ■

© FHCN article by Patti DiPanfilo