Award-winning hairdresser, Wayne Partridge squirmed in the spotlight and kept his lips firmly sealed whenever a camera was pointed his way, but thanks to Smile Store, he’s finally ready to flash a confident, beautiful smile.

After 25 years in the cut and thrust of competitive London hairdressing, coiffurist Wayne Partridge and his partner Ron decamped to West Cork and opened their salon with an ‘if we build it, they will come’ attitude. ‘Wayne Lloyd’ was a roaring success, and this year the couple opened two more salons in Bandon and Cork City. Wayne loves what he does, but you wouldn’t have known it by looking at him.

“I never, ever smiled,” he says. “I was so mortified by my teeth that I kept my lips firmly clamped shut. We were winning awards for our salons and I was constantly being photographed, but I squirmed in the spotlight.”

Wayne spends his working life on front of a mirror, so a heightened awareness of his flaws was a daily reality. A charismatic man with a delightfully droll wit; he is utterly, unabashedly himself, with no secrets, and his clients adore him for it. Yet he would deliver the most hilarious quips with a resolutely poker face because he couldn’t stand the sight of his own teeth.

“They’ve always been bad, the result of a combination of poor dental care and ongoing damage over the years. I became resigned to my self-consciousness and lived with a slightly apathetic despair.

“I thought that a Hollywood smile would come with a Hollywood price tag, and none of the dentists I saw ever asked me how I actually felt, or mentioned a more aesthetically pleasing option.” That all changed with a chance visit to Smile
Store in Cork.

“I’d had a bridge put in by my own dentist that collapsed only a few months after I got it, so I was researching the cost of having that replaced and the possibility of two implants. I was quoted €7,500 by a few places, which was pretty expensive.

“One of my clients told me about Smile Store in Cork, who are known for technically brilliant work and reasonable pricing. She said they had an Oral Surgeon Specialist, Dr Bence Kadar, who was a bit of a genius.”

Wayne fi gured he had nothing to lose and went to meet Dr Kadar just to compare prices. “I was completely blown away,” he says. “Dr.Kadar impressed the hell out of me. Firstly he quoted me €2,500 for the work – a massive saving over all
the other practices.

“He was the first dental professional to ask what I was unhappy with. Dr Kadar gave an in-depth consultation, much like I would with my own clients, and asked me how I would like to look. “He was insightful, astute, and perceptive. He
explained what needed work and why, and said let’s make your smile a priority right now so you can stop being embarrassed by it.”

Wayne got six temporary crowns straight away for what dentists call the ‘social six’ – the teeth most evident when you smile.
“It was an instant confi dence booster,” he says. “I was missing a lot of bone from my jaw, so Dr Kadar did a sinus lift to augment the bone, and then I was able to get the dental implants I needed.”

Dental implants are small titanium posts that act as artificial tooth roots. They fuse with the jawbone,
so once crowns are put on top they look and work exactly like natural teeth.

“I needed a lot of work, but Smile Store are unique as they have a whole team of specialists, so all the resources were right there,” says Wayne. “I honestly never thought I could get everything I needed without breaking the bank, but it was unbelievably affordable and there was an immediate difference. Everybody said, ‘You’re looking great’, but the hilarious thing is nobody figured out I had my teeth done. I look a lot younger, which at 47 isn’t a bad thing! I feel like my outside finally matches the way I feel inside.

“The expansion of our salons and the awards we win means a lot of press and photo calls, but now instead of cringing I actually look forward to being photographed, although I have to practise smiling as it’s such a new thing for me. We’re going to the World Hairdressing Championships in Korea in 2016, and I am ready for the cameras!

“Dr Kadar and his team were amazing from start to finish. I cannot say enough good things about them and I have sent them loads of clients since, people who are getting married next year and who are embarrassed about their smiles.

“I send them to Smile Store because they changed my life, and because they are bloody marvellous.”

Smile Store can help you shine on your big day, and no matter what you need, they can work magic with your teeth. It’s well worth a drive to Cork for 67% savings over national prices!

Call 021 432 0004 and see what they can do for you.

SmileStore.ie

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