Talk Story
Some vacations just can’t
help making you smileTHE IMPACTED wisdom tooth started to hurt as we bypassed Boston on I-495 and bounced in our little pickup truck, boat in tow, toward a two-week stay in a rustic cabin on a lake in Maine. By the time we arrived, my infected jaw was swollen shut.
This personal experience combining tourism and dentistry was painful, but not entirely unpleasant -- we had a battery-powered TV to watch the Olympics, the weather was great and the view was spectacular. Unfortunately, the nearest dentist was 30 miles away and couldn't do much but prescribe rest, antibiotics and Tylenol.
Times have changed. As gubernatorial candidate Mazie Hirono told Star-Bulletin editors this week, Hawaii should diversify the tourism industry and grow new markets. Dr. Wynn H. Okuda is doing his bit.
Honolulu's Okuda was featured in a Wall Street Journal article this week subtitled: "Dentists brush up practices with spa-like amenities; a root canal, then a facial." A self-styled "dental artist," Okuda is one of the trendsetters creating a flossy and glossy phenomenon: cosmetic dentistry vacations.
ONE OF Dr. Okuda's "Hawaiian Smile Vacations in Paradise" can begin with a limousine whisking visitor/patients to his Kaimuki office, upstairs from the 3660 on the Rise restaurant in the posh Waialae Building, just minutes from Waikiki and the Kahala Mandarin Oriental.
Office visits, which can feature massages and movies, are scheduled around surfing, trips to the beach, luaus, cruises, hiking, golf and visits to floral gardens, museums and cultural centers.
"The beauty of the Hawaiian Islands will always make you smile," Okuda says. "And now the dream destination of many is the ideal place to receive a new smile."
Known professionally as president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, Okuda is better known locally as creator of the smile that helped Brooke Lee become Miss Universe in 1997.
Other notable local grins he's perfected: Stacy Kamano of Baywatch Hawaii; Erika Kaufmann, Miss Hawaii 1997; Trini Kaopuiki, KHON-TV weatherperson and Miss Hawaii USA 1999; Tiffini Hercules, Miss Hawaii USA 1998; Michele Kaplan, Miss Hawaii USA 2000; Tobie Carter, Miss Hawaii Teen USA 1998; and Shawn Ching of KITV 4 news.
MAINLAND dentists also have added spa-like amenities, such as fluffy blankets, paraffin wax hand treatments, makeup artists, facials, complimentary snacks and vibrating dental chairs, but they can't match Hawaii's total resort experience.
Cosmetic dentistry isn't about "filling holes all day," as one practitioner puts it. It addresses smile disorders, such as broken, crowded, worn, discolored, disproportioned and gap-toothed smiles.
Cosmetic dentists use veneers, porcelain restorations, minor gum surgery or "gum sculpting," full-mouth reconstruction or rehabilitation, tooth whitening, replacing old crowns and silver fillings.
Okuda specializes in temporary restorations. "We have patients who are models or pageant winners who have gone to photo shoots with their temporary restorations, and because their smile looked so natural, no one knew."
ORDINARY dentists face foreign competition. There's Cali, Columbia, for example, where one patient says a dentist replaced 11 fillings, filled three new cavities, replaced a crown and cleaned her teeth for less than $600.
A testimonial for Mexican dentistry on the Internet claims, "Dental work in Mexico is bound to save you money, maybe even enough to pay for the trip."
Medical bargain hunters also can find deals in Johannesburg, South Africa. The city's Web site touts the experience of one 50-ish visitor from Florida who has "stayed in top hotels, gone on two luxury bush safaris, recuperated from her facelift with massages and beauty treatments and spent plenty of money on expensive goods."
Self-indulgence is what extravagant vacations are all about, but, as Okuda puts it, "It's more than a smile. ... It's about changing your life!"
John Flanagan is the Star-Bulletin's contributing editor.
He can be reached at: jflanagan@starbulletin.com.