Follow-Up with Stacey

Yet one more painful element of Stacey's past obesity is that she avoided going to the dentist. "I couldn't fit in the chair," she says. "And if I fit in the chair, I know the dentist was nervous I was going to break it."

After years without dental care, her mouth was a mess. "All the teeth have been chipping and breaking. And I've been filling them in with over-the-counter glues. Too much sugar [for] too many years. I want a real pretty smile. I just want them completely fixed so I'm not in pain every day."

Dr. Lowenberg, Stacey's dentist, ran down the list of problems. "Her mouth is filled with decay. Almost every back tooth in her mouth is falling apart, rotting out. She has multiple infections, [tooth number] 14 needs a crown, [tooth number] 17 needs to be extracted. ... You need root canals. You need a new bridge."

But he had words of encouragement for Stacey. "I'm going to take care of your dental health. So whatever you need to be able to feel good about your teeth, we're going to do for you."

After a full of week of procedures, Stacey finally has the pearly whites she dreamed of!