If you count your blessings, you’re much less likely to be counting sheep at night!  Sleeping more soundly is but one of the many benefits that researchers have found among people who maintain an attitude of gratitude in their lives.  According to Melinda Beck in The Wall Street Journal (November 23, 2010), grateful people are happier, healthier and more successful than moodier people.

Says Beck:  “Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections, and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade.  They’re also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy or alcoholics.  They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly, and have greater resistance to viral infections.”

The benefits of being grateful accrue to children and adolescents as well as adults.  Research shows that kids who feel and act grateful “tend to be less materialistic, get better grades, set higher goals, complain of fewer headaches and stomach aches, and feel more satisfied with their friends, families and schools than those who don’t.”

“A lot of these findings are things we learned in kindergarten or our grandmothers told us, but we now have scientific evidence to prove them,” says Jeffrey J. Froh, an assistant professor of psychology at Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, who has conducted much of the research with children.

The research is part of the “positive psychology” movement, which focuses on developing strengths rather than alleviating disorders.  Cultivating gratitude is also a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy, which holds that changing peoples’ thought patterns can dramatically affect their moods.

In a survey of 1,035 high school students, Dr. Froh and his colleagues found that “the most grateful had more friends and higher GPAs, while the most materialistic had lower grades, higher levels of envy, and less satisfaction with life.”

Another study showed that counting blessings can actually make people feel better.  It was conducted by Dr. Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California-Davis and a pioneer in gratitude research, and by Dr. Michael McCullough, a psychologist at the University of Miami.  Study participants who listed blessings each week had fewer health complaints, exercised more regularly, and felt better about their lives than other participants.

The big question is whether people can learn to be grateful.  “Experts believe that about 50% of such temperament is genetic, but the rest comes from experience, so there’s ample opportunity for change,” says Beck.  Both children and adults can choose how they feel and how they experience the world.  “Look for things to be grateful for, and you’ll start seeing them everywhere.”

One simple way to cultivate gratitude, notes Beck, is to literally count your blessings by keeping a journal and regularly recording what you’re grateful for that day.  Another is to adopt a more upbeat mind-set – like sharing what you’re grateful for with friends instead of bonding over gripes and annoyances.  Still another is to “fill your head with positive thoughts, express thanks and encouragement aloud, and look for something to be grateful for, not criticize, in those around you, especially loved ones.”  Even small increases in positive emotions can make life more satisfying.

As a dentist in Manhattan, I know that less stress means less teeth grinding and less teeth grinding means less dental problems.  So relax — and count your blessings

If you thought laughing gas was the only fun part about visiting the dentist, you haven’t been to Dr. Paul Tanners’ Midtown office.

All that drilling is easier to take when you’re getting a complimentary foot rub, which is offered to all his patients.

‘It’s a really good massage,’ says Stephen Sumnar, a 61-year-old college lecturer who travels two hours by train to see Tanners.

‘There have been times when I’ve come close to falling asleep. No matter what Dr. Tanners is doing in my mouth, I concentrate on my feet.’

A specialist in reconstructive and cosmetic dentistry, Tanners began offering reflexology two years ago at his wife’s suggestion. ‘Reflexology takes the focus off the mouth and onto another part of the body so patients don’t notice any discomfort,’ he says.

At the Madison Avenue practice, around 80 percent of the 2,000-plus clients get the foot massage whenever they book either a $150 examination, $125 cleaning treatment, $250 x-ray appointment or surgery.

In the corner of each treatment room a red aromatherapy candle burns alongside a fresh bouquet of pink roses. ‘It makes for a more pleasant, non-dental experience,’ the super-tanned surgeon explains. “We avoid smelling like a typical dentist’s and create a feeling of home away from home.”

Gayle Lerner, a judge from Brooklyn Heights, is making her second visit to Tanners in as many days – after putting it off for five years. ‘Since I was a child, I have been frightened to death of dentists,’ she explains. ‘If I come for a small thing, I’m afraid they will find something bigger.’

Within 10 minutes, Lerner is in the dentist’s chair having her stocking-covered feet massaged by Izamar Nazareno.

Patients who have extensive work done are offered champagne or flowers and free rides home. Twice a week, Tanners also offers Botox and collagen injections. ‘Patients have gone from being dental cripples to dental missionaries,’ he says.

While channel surfing last week, I stopped at CNN and read the scroll: New York Dentist Offers Massages, Wrinkle reduction. The floor was hard, I learned, after I fell out of my chair.

Maybe it’s because I’m from Chicago, but doesn’t the dental spa concept consist of offering patients a beverage and cable TV? (One West Coast practice offers warm cookies, but the concept never caught on in our calorie- and caries-concerned community.)

Tracking down Paul Tanners, DDS, in his tiny dental practice on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, I learned that he doesn’t think his is a dental spa or boutique, but rather a practice that offers high-quality dentistry in a relaxed, nurturing and pampering environment.

For years, Dr. Tanners, a prosthodontist and restorative dentist, had helped his older patients gain younger-looking smiles. But if their lips and face remained wrinkled, my hands were tied, Dr. Tanners recalled. In the back of his mind, Dr. Tanners had envisioned offering his patients the ability to have minor cosmetic treatments in his office, thus alleviating the inconvenience of having to run around the city in search of multiple experts, plastic surgeons or estheticians.

With more than 30 years in practice, Dr. Tanners last year took the plunge and added free services that no other dentist offered. We were always providing premiere dentistry; now we offer the same high-level dental care with added attention to our patients’ relaxation and comfort, Dr. Tanners said. Here’s his menu:

Plastic Surgery: Dr. Tanners’ practice offers Botox and collagen treatments to reduce wrinkles; a staff plastic surgeon sees patients twice each week.

Massage Therapy: A staff relaxation therapist provides hand and foot massages during procedures to all patients who want them.

Nitrous Oxide: N2O is offered to patients, even for simple procedures such as prophylaxis. Combine this with a massage and music listened to on earphones, and patients get a truly sybaritic experience, according to Dr. Tanners.

Painless Anesthesia: Dr. Tanners uses the Comfort Control System (Dentsply). This computer-driven system expresses warm anesthesia through a bi-beveled needle at an optimum rate into tissue already numbed with a special topical anesthetic for five minutes. It is a virtually painless injection, Dr. Tanners says, and particularly effective for mandibular block injections.

Eyeshades/Earphones/TV: Patients can watch TV, a movie, or listen to their own choice of music through earphones during procedures. Eyeshades further block external stimulation for those who choose to lie back and listen to tunes with their eyes closed.

Soothing Environment: Aromatherapy crystals and scented candles permeate the air so that medicinal smells are minimized. Fresh flowers brighten up every room.

There are no additional fees for the relaxation services Dr. Tanners’ staff provides, he says. Amenities were added to ensure patients would be happy and comfortable. Consultations for Botox and collagen procedures are free; however, the actual treatments are provided at prevailing rates.

Continually searching for more, Dr. Tanners, who has two associates, is seeking larger quarters so that he can add another masseuse, an esthetician, and a product line. Hot towels are coming soon, he promises.

Many dentists don’t realize it, but we’re in a service business. In addition to top quality dentistry, patients want five-star service, he said. Once they engage my services, I’m available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Dr. Tanners gives his home number to patients for emergencies and says he has received fewer than three calls a year. Every night, I call patients who had operative dentistry to see how they’re feeling after the day’s procedure, Dr. Tanners says. I detect problems in their early stages. It takes just a few minutes, but enables me to pick up on little things such as supra occlusion, which can be easily corrected the next day. This helps prevent any serious problems and patients really seem to appreciate this personal attention.

Conclusion

The practice of dentistry is changing in many new and positive ways, according to Dr. Tanners. In addition to receiving quality dentistry, patients want to be catered to and pampered. Apprehensive patients feel they have found a home at my practice.

Dr. Tanners says his dental colleagues offer nothing but encouraging words about his practice and innovative concepts. To naysayers of any kind, Dr. Tanners offers a parting quote from Winston Churchill: The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.

This column is prepared by Janyce Hamilton, a Chicago area freelance journalist who specializes in covering dentistry. New columns will be put online on a monthly basis. If you have a suggestion for topics to be covered, or any comments on this column, drop us a line, review@cds.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

’2002 Chicago Dental Society

Karen Menehan

Mention going to the dentist, and many people immediately feel fear, anxiety even panic. According to the latest study conducted by the Journal of the American Dental Association, 45 million Americans are extremely nervous or terrified about visiting the dentist, and 23 million people avoid doing so because of fear — fear of pain, of not being in control of the situation, or of the overall dental-care experience, which often includes needles and drills.

Dentists nationwide are taking some of the sting out of trips to their offices, by incorporating one of the lessons embodied by the spa industry: Pampering calms and senses.

At the New York City office of Paul Tanners, D.D.S., for example, patients can receive hand and foot massages before, during and after dental procedures. Patients can also watch movies, listen to music on headphones, and wear eyeshades to reduce stress.

‘The relaxation methods we offer help to physically separate the patient’s mind from their teeth,’ says Tanners.

Dentists agree that borrowing from the spa industry makes for more relaxed patients. Some dentists now even refer to their practices as ‘dental spas.’

The spa perks being offered in U.S. dentists’ offices include massage of the neck, shoulders, face, hands and feet; paraffin hand-waxing treatments; reflexology; herbal eye compresses; relaxing music; warm foot booties and neck pillows; manicures and pedicures; scented candles; and aromatherapy. Some dentists are even having spa facilities and amenities, such as massage rooms, cappuccino and mineral water bars, arboretums and waterfalls, installed in their offices.

A workshop on creating a more pleasant dental-office atmosphere was offered at a meeting of the Chicago Dental Society in February. The instructor of that workshop, Mary Govoni, a dental hygienist and the owner of an ergonomic-consulting company, says that spa treatments are an effective way of making dental care a more pleasant experience.

‘Dentistry still has that connotation of pain and apprehension,’ she says. ‘Offering (spa) treatments helps take away some of the fear and apprehension and create a better all-around experience for the patient.’

Let the root canal begin. As the field of dentistry gets more competitive, an array of innovations are emerging to make people feel more comfortable in the chair. Several dental practices around the country now offer calming distractions from movies and music to massage and wine to ease what many people view as a stressful experience.

Lori Kemmet’s office is one of them. For several months now, Kemmet has had Fox and another massage therapist roaming her office, offering reflexology foot massage to her guests (don’t dare call them patients.)”Patient” just doesn’t fit the atmosphere,’ says Kemmet, who has created a spa-like environment in her south Border office. From the moment they walk in the door, guests are pampered, from the paraffin wax hand treatments and cloth hand towels in the bathroom to the snacks, wine or water offered by sapphire-clad attendants. No, wait, they also get looked after. Forget the white lab coats, they wear chic outfits: Some days they don a stylish khaki/black ensemble; other days you’ll find them in silky blouses. They are treated to rock climbing trips, and of course, enjoy a regular foot massage. ‘I feel funny calling (dentistry) work,’ Kemmet says. ‘Guests and team members are my friends.’

The trend toward kinder-gentler dentistry started with softer lighting and improved music (gone is the archaic dentist’s office mood music). But with roughly 165,000 licensed dentists practicing in the United States today, competition is getting tougher. It takes more than an aquarium bubbling in the waiting room to keep people smiling.

‘Dentists are always looking for ways to keep patients more relaxed and comfortable in the office,’ says Dr. Matt Messina, a consumer advisor and spokesman for the American Dental Association. Also a practicing dentist in the Cleveland area, he knows patients are consumers who are shopping for options. ‘Little things can make all the difference in the world,’ Messina says. He has stopped short of offering foot massage in his practice (he admits to being a bit squeamish about it), but he has deliberately designed a comforting atmosphere. ‘Subtle things, like sound deadening panels, and controlling line-of-sight,’ Messina says, can make a difference. In addition to not placing tool trays next to patients’ faces, he has buried plumbing lines and painted his soaring 9-foot-high ceilings in comforting tones. Also, he gives patients the remote control for the TV/video screen above them so that they “can control one little piece of the experience.’ ‘Massage isn’t just for pleasure in the dental setting,’ says Fox, a reflexologist with a regular practice in Longmont. When Fox kneads guests feet, she is working specific trigger points to put them at ease. “I have a lot of empathy, because I have a lot of anxiety about dentists myself,’ Fox says. ‘It is nice to be able to help.’ She manipulates specific pressure points associated with the lymph nodes to flush the body during tooth extractions and cleanings.

Sally MacMillan is taking a break from raising her 2-year-old twins to visit Kemmet. She has opted for a hand massage while Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli croons love songs to her through the headphones. ‘This is so wonderful,’ she purrs, midway through having three crowns replaced. ‘How nice can a dental experience be? But this is very pleasant.’

Other technological advances have enabled patients to see first-hand, what the dentists have been seeing for years. Through the use of intraoral cameras that project images on a screen, patients can see the decaying tooth that needs to come out. Boulder dentist Mark Birnbach has been using one in his office since 1995. He also owns a Sony Glastron, head-mounted movie playing glasses for patients to use during those lengthy procedures.

Across the country at Dr. Paul Tanners’ upscale New York City dental office, patients can have their teeth cleaned and their wrinkles removed in the same visit. Tanners has a plastic surgeon on site to administer collagen and Botox. ‘People take advantage of that,’ says Sasha Lee, Tanners’ receptionist. ‘You can have your smile brightened up and have a little TLC.’ But in the end, Messina says, the one-stop shop for the multi-tasker needs to provide the goods. ‘This all only works if the dentistry is first rate,’ he says.

By Johanna Piazza
Special to New York Resident

A few months ago, a new patient wandered into Dr. Paul Tanners’ Madison Square Avenue office. Her current dentist did great work, she told him, and her teeth looked beautiful, but there was something missing ‘ a bedside manner. Her dentist was just too ‘procedure oriented,’ she said. She dreaded visits to his office and put off invasive procedures to avoid the displeasure. Tanners couldn’t help but smile: The woman was his target market, and he was ready to serve her.

A good dentist doesn’t have to be a barbarian,’ Tanners jokes. ‘My job is to be service-oriented. A dentist can do beautiful work, but if patients dread their visit, they aren’t going to want to come in for the work.’ Long feared by all but the most sadistic among us, a visit to the dentist is improving by leaps and bounds. Increasingly, dentists are focusing on customer comfort and satisfaction during treatment.

Tanners, a long time Manhattan prosthodontist, has sculpted every nuance of his practice to make patients as comfortable as possible during teeth cleanings, oral surgery, and other dental procedures. He follows up each visit with a home phone call. He sends gifts or flowers to patients who may be a little woozy after a visit. In the office, comfort includes the tangible ‘ headphones with a variety of programming that are easily adjustable during treatment, a foot and leg massage by a licensed therapist, a foot and leg massage by a licensed therapist, and even aroma therapy, as well as the less tangible ‘ an encouraging and friendly staff that constantly inquires about comfort levels and goes out of its way to not inflict even a smidgen of unnecessary pain.

And as dental care has rapidly moved into the realm of enhancement as well as prevention ‘ with teeth whitening becoming more popular on the shelf and in the office ‘ Tanners is capitalizing on the moment. On his staff is Dr. Michelle J. Zweifler, a certified plastic surgeon who is available for consultations and outpatient wrinkle and lip treatments such as Botox and collagen injections. ‘The patients leave happy with their teeth, so we thought we’d add another dimension to the practice by offering plastic surgery consultations,’ Zweifler says. ‘And so far patients have been very receptive to it. They love the convenience of both specialists in one office.’ A botox injection combined with a standard teeth cleaning and checkup can be completed in less than two hours.

While the current space on Madison Avenue is certainly adequate for a dental facility, it doesn’t gel with Tanners’s vision of the overall dental experience. So he is opening a new office in the fall that will be more ‘spa-like,’ with wireless headsets and plasma televisions adorning the ceilings. ‘To me, the ultimate experience is feeling nothing, with computerized anesthesia, music playing in the background, and someone massaging your feet and legs,’ Tanners muses. ‘That is what I want my patients to experience.’

Masseuses, aestheticians, even plastic surgeons are helping patients fight their fear of drills, needles, etc. Here’s what some practices around the country offer. (Note: Most of these treatments are performed before or after your dental procedure.)

Climb in the Chair For: Facial Microdermabrasion (performed by an aesthetician)
Where: Dr. Berland’s Dental Spa for Adult Dentistry, Dallas
Cost: First treatment, free; follow-ups, $110 each or $500 for a package of five.
Dentist Says: “The focus of my practice is cosmetic dentistry,” says Lorin Berland, D.D.S. “So microdermabrasion, which improves the skin, is a natural fit.”
We Say: Although microdermabrasion can be done by an aesthetician, we prefer a dermatologist’s expertise. Use your best judgment.

Climb in the Chair For: Paraffin-wax hand treatment.
Where: Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry.
Cost: Free.
Dentist Says: “Half of Americans don’t even go to the dentist on a regular basis, and those who do treat it like a necessary evil,” says Debra Gray King, D.D.S. “My mission is to make dental visits a more pleasant experience.”
We Say: Softer hands for nothing? Go ahead and wax us.

Climb in the Chair For: Botox injections.
Where: The Rosenthal Group, New York City.
Cost: $500.
Dentist Says: “We call our office a “rejuvenation center,”" says Larry Rosenthal, D.D.S. “You can have a dermatologist do a consultation while you’re sitting in the chair. We want patients to like their looks — not just their teeth.”
We Say: On the plus side, at least it’s a dermatologist who performs the procedure. On the other hand, if you get Botox before your dental work, your face may not register any pain you might feel.

Climb in the Chair For: A one-hour facial.
Where: Dental Spa, Pacific Palisades, California.
Cost: $75 for dental patients, $85 for nonpatients (yes, some people go solely for a facial).
Dentist Says: “People schedule regular dental cleanings, but they don’t schedule regular skin cleanings,” says Lynn Watanabe, D.D.S. “This helps them do so.”
We Say: If you’ve got the extra time to spare, we’re all for one-stop shopping.

Climb in the Chair For: Foot, shoulder, or neck massage.
Where: The Dental Spa, Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Cost: Free.
Dentist Says: “Massage relaxes patients,” says Robert G. Hodous, D.D.S. “And if they’re relaxed, they often find their dental procedures more comfortable.”
We Say: Yes to anything that might take our minds off the drill.

Climb in the Chair For: Collagen injections.
Where: Paul Tanners, D.D.S., New York City.
Cost: $400 per injection.
Dentist Says: “Patients were complaining to me about their wrinkles,” Tanners says. “Having an on-site plastic surgeon was an easy way to help do something about them.”
We Say: If you’re the collagen type, this might be cool. As for us, we prefer to spit and split.

Kyle Roderick

Imagine going to the dentist and getting an aromatherapy foot massage and paraffin hand treatment while reclining in a chair with temperature and massage settings that you alone control. Sybaritic tooth spa services are becoming more common as dentists realize how these make patients feel blessed rather than stressed during and after daunting dental procedures. While Paul Tanners’ Manhattan dentist office features massage therapy services, Debra Gray King at the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry offers paraffin hand treatments, massage boots, and eye soothing wraps to patients.

‘I love offering spa services because in dentistry it’s hard to make people feel good,’ says Dr. Kent Smith of 21st Century Dental in Irving, Texas. ‘When our patients feel good, we feel good, too, so everyone’s happier.’ Besides offering massage and paraffin hand treatments, ‘we dim the lights in the rooms, burn aromatherapy candles, and play the patient’s favorite music,’ explains Smith.

While vanilla is by far the most requested scent, he also reports that ‘we are going to start offering more massage therapy to meet patient demand.’

What’s more, dentists around the country are scrambling to deliver similar services in an attempt to draw in more patients. ‘I’m starting to get calls from colleagues asking how they can create spa environments in their offices,’ says Smith.

ACROSS THE COUNTRY, DENTISTS ARE trying to remove the dread associated with their practice by offering patients an unexpected perk: ‘spa’ treatments. Imagine a relaxing foot massage to accompany a root canal, or herbal eye masks and paraffin-wax hand treatments to enhance a cleaning. ‘It’s a combination of high touch,’ explains Dan King, chief operating officer at the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry, where patients-greeted in the waiting room with the aroma of freshly baked cookies (if not actual cookies) receive pillows and virtual-reality glasses and are treated in pastel rooms scented with aromatherapy candles. ‘It turns a dental office from a torture chamber into a pleasant, pampering experience,’ he adds. ‘Our patients love the luxuries, and they refer their friends.’

Going one better, New York reconstructive dentist Dr. Paul Tanners offers patients not just an on-site massage therapist, but a consultation with a plastic surgeon who can perform some non-invasive treatments (for an extra fee)- such as Botox injections while the patient is in the dentist’s chair. ‘I find patients like the one-stop shopping,’ says Tanners.

Some dentists who offer such amenities may charge slightly more for a visit than no-frills dentists do, but many patients don’t mind. ‘People seem to feel that being comfortable at the dentist is worth paying more for,’ says Dr. Mathew Messina, consumer adviser for the American Dental Association.

Aside from making you more enthusiastic about your next dentist appointment, some dental professionals believe these extras may lead to better oral health, too. ‘We’ve known for a long time that if you take your mind off your mouth, you’ll have less pain and maybe even heal faster,’ says Dr. Richard Hansen, director of the Comprehensive Dental Canter in Fullerton, California. ‘Stress tightens blood vessels and lowers the mouth’s immune system. Helping patients relax can improve the healing process.’

It gives a whole new meaning to saying ‘aahh.’

By Rebecca Cooper

Only in America. Only in the land of 100 different alpha hydroxy wrinkle-smoothing creams and laser removal of under-eye circles could a person go in for routine oral hygiene and come out with rejuvenated lips full of collagen.

This latest development in appearance enhancement is an innovative pairing of prothodontics and trendy, age-defying procedures. The cosmetic combination was dreamed up by Dr. Paul Tanners, DDS, a Southampton resident with a Manhattan dental practice that recently began offering a range of cosmetic facial touch-ups in addition to prosthodontic dental services.

Dr. Tanners has teamed up with prominent New York cosmetic surgeon Dr. Michelle Zweiffer, who offers Botox and collagen to both her own and Dr. Tanners patients out of his Madison Avenue office. According to Dr. Tanners, this is not the first time combining the two services has crossed his mind.

‘More than 20 years ago, I thought of putting cosmetic restorative procedures and prosthodontics under one umbrella,’ he said. ‘But it just wasn’t do-able at the time.’

Not only was Botox still awaiting approval in the 70′s, but the U.S. was not quite so mesmerized by the fountain of youth syndrome. ‘It just wasn’t ready,’ added the dentist in an interview at his vacation home in Southampton.

So, in the meantime, Dr. Tanners built up his prosthodontic practice, which offers everything from routine cleanings to restorative dental work and prosthetics. When the opportunity came along to work with Dr. Zweiffer at the same time the FDA approved the wrinkle-reducing Botox, Dr. Tanners felt the time was right to move forward and offer his patients a more complete package. ‘People can leave with clean teeth, and clean face,’ Dr. tanners remarked.’It’s kind of exciting,’ he continued. ‘I haven’t heard of anyone else doing it.’

He admits that when he first started promoting the added procedures, people thought he was crazy. ‘Do people need it?’ he asked. Thoughtfully. ‘Well, they want it. Once they do it, they notice every wrinkle, because now they’re paying attention.’ But, the objective of the practice is not to force added procedures onto patients. ‘We just let them know what’s available,’ he said, noting the importance of exercising delicacy when suggesting the possibility of the surgery.

‘People are going to wonder how they look to other people if you ask them that question,’ Dr. Tanners said, acknowledging that he tries to be as tactful as possible.

The team of Tanners and Zweiffer has also accumulated a larger patient base in the process of joining efforts. ‘People come in for a cleaning and a bleaching, and they end up going through with a little Botox,’ he said. ‘And it works both ways her patients come to me, too.’

The seasoned dentist and his new partner have also done their best to keep the prices reasonable with Botox topping out at about $400, depending on the number of sites injected. ‘It’s a very competitive price,’ he said. ‘It makes options more affordable and more accessible. The response has been great.’

Dr. Tanners added that patients ‘love being able to come in for everything at one time.’ The former NYU professor and board of trustees member is also giddy with anticipation of even more additions to his practice, including an aesthetics massage therapists as well as a line of products available from his office.

Whether or not Paul Tanners and Associates becomes any more comprehensive in the future, Dr. Tanners seems certain that he will always be credited as one of the first to bring two significant cosmetic procedures together.

I never really thought of myself as a trendsetter,’ he said. ‘I just do what feels right and makes me happy.’