Aligning Goals

By blending high-tech dental procedures and a relaxing, spa-like atmosphere, SARAH PLESS, dentist and owner of Renaissance Dental Studio, takes dental visits to a whole new level. Now, Pless is adding facial aesthetics to her services, which she says is a natural extension of her work as a dentist.

“I help people put their best face forward,” Pless says. ‘I’ve been doing that for years with smiles, and now I’m moving into more facial harmony and balance.”

Pless’ facial aesthetic services, as well as selected dental procedures, will be performed at her new office, Renewal by Renaissance. The office is located three doors down from Renaissance Dental Studio and is scheduled to open in June.

Throughout her career, Pless has brought her patients innovative dental practices along with personal care. This is evident through her use of new technologies such as dental lasers and 3D printing for fillings and crowns; a comfy, relaxing environment complete with heated massage chairs and individual TVs for patients; and the relationships she builds with them.

At Renewal by Renaissance, Pless is expanding on her determination to give patients treatments that go above and beyond the norm. She wants to add facial aesthetics to the services she offers, because they will enhance her patients’ lives, she says. Plus, given the training she took to perform these treatments and her experience as a dentist, Pless says she is uniquely qualified to perform them.

“So much of dentistry is technical,” she says. “I deal in milliliters all day long. I have to mind ratios and plan to get the most balanced smile. … I like the naturalness of the facial aesthetic services we will provide. We will give patients an improved look without giving them a cartoonish appearance.”

Not surprisingly, Pless is also taking advantage of a new technology, Aura Reality, to augment her patients’ microneedling and laser experience. Aura Reality produces 3D images and analysis of patients’ skin, and it scores their skin texture, hyperpigmentation (sunspots), redness, and wrinkles.

“With Aura Reality, you can do a treatment and then show a patient there’s actually been an improvement in their skin,” Pless explains. “Having a way to quantify the results from before and after treatment is really important to me.”

The dental procedures Pless will perform at Renewal by Renaissance also reflect her focus on high-tech, patient-friendly protocols. These include Invisalign, which uses clear aligners for orthodontia; specialized children’s dental care; and routine teeth cleanings that are anything but routine. Instead of harsh scraping, Pless will use a new procedure, Guided Biofilm Therapy, to clean patients’ teeth. GBT relies on “the world’s tiniest pressure washer and warm water to remove plaque and bacteria, which results in a more thorough cleaning that is also more enjoyable for patients, Pless says.

“It’s like a dental spa for your mouth,” she adds.

Renewal by Renaissance will have the same creature comforts as Renaissance Dental Studio. Another benefit is that the new location should be convenient for patients, Pless says.

“It’s so easy for patients to schedule facial aesthetic procedures when we see them every four or six months when they come in for their teeth maintenance or cleanings,” Pless says. “We can apply those treatments then, and patients have minimal downtime. They are already in our very cozy office.”

For Pless, adding facial aesthetics and innovative technologies to her dental practice is essential to her quest to give patients a positive dental experience.

“I’m always pushing the envelope,” says Pless. “I try to be proactive and add services that will best help my patients.”

Though Pless is busy with Renaissance Dental Studio and now Renewal by Renaissance, she has another commitment that is dear to her heart. She is a colon cancer awareness advocate.

Pless’ service as a colorectal cancer awareness advocate began after she lost her mother to colon cancer. Now, educating patients about the link between mouth plaque and cancer is an integral part of her work as a dentist.

“There is evidence that if left untreated, the bacteria in periodontal disease gets in the gut,” Pless says. “That same mouth bacteria leads to major organ cancers.”

Pless also sponsors the local, annual springtime Blue Ribbon Run, which raises funds and awareness for colorectal cancer and supports research at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and provides funds to help local individuals who have been diagnosed with colon cancer and their families. She also emceed the Matters of the Gut: A Colorectal Cancer Education Luncheon, held this past March by the UNCW College of Health and Human Services.

“I will do anything in my professional role to help people not go through the horrors of cancer,” Pless says. “It’s important to stay ahead of the factors that contribute to cancer.”

To view more of photographer and stylists Drewe & Kate’s work, go to dreweandkate.com

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