Dr. Jenine Arab O’Malley

By Melanie Furlong Photos Stephen Jess

In her studio, surrounded by tools, tints, finishes and materials, Dr. Jenine Arab O’Malley is truly an artist at work. Her smock: a lab coat.

Her medium: cosmetic bonding. Her canvas: teeth.

Dr. Arab O’Malley could be a sculptor or painter, and in a way, she is both. She colours and shapes each tooth with the confidence and expertise required to

create a healthy, natural-looking tooth. Through advanced clinical training, Dr. Arab O’Malley, owner of Halifax Dental Studio, has mastered an artistic skill set that enables her to combine restorative composite resin materials in layered applications to beautifully simulate a natural looking tooth structure.

After completing work on a few front teeth for her patient, Sherry, she shows

her the finished outcome with a mirror. Sherry is close to tears she is so happy with the restoration of her worn and discoloured teeth. “It’s not every day I meet someone like you,” she says to Dr. Arab O’Malley. “You’re an angel is what you are.”

Seeing the impact her work has on a patient’s self-esteem is Dr. Arab O’Malley’s biggest reward. She meets a

Accredited Cosmetic Dentist Uses Artistry to Create Healthy Smiles

lot of patients who are unhappy with their teeth, making them reluctant or even embarrassed to smile. They may have worn down teeth from grinding, spacing, discolouration or poor symmetry.

“As an accredited cosmetic dentist, I look at the big picture, which is creating balance between teeth, tissue, function and esthetic,” says Dr. Arab O’Malley. “The final cosmetic outcome should emulate natural dental morphology, which integrates seamlessly into the rest of the dentition.”

Dr. Arab O’Malley performs all aspects of dentistry, from basic restorations to full mouth reconstruction, advocating a bio-aesthetic approach, which is to try and achieve the desired results in the most natural, non-invasive way in order to preserve the tooth structure.

For many procedures, such as bonding, patients are thrilled to discover there is usually no freezing and the work is often completed in one visit. What’s also surprising to many patients is cosmetic bonding is typically much more affordable than crowns, depending on the situation, and many dental insurance plans cover the work.

This spring, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry honoured Dr. Arab O’Malley as the first dentist in Atlantic Canada with accreditation status. She is distinguished as one of only 14 dental professionals across Canada and 348 worldwide to have achieved accreditation status in the AACD. She joined eight other international dental professionals at the 2015 AACD Conference in San Francisco this May to be formally awarded the accreditation honour.

This prestigious designation requires the highest level of technical skill and competency in cosmetic dentistry and usually takes years to complete. The process was both an empowering and humbling journey for Dr. Arab O’Malley, who is also a married mother of four children, aged 20, 19, 15 and 12.

“I depended a lot on support from my husband, Greg O’Malley, who was remarkable,” says Dr. Arab O’Malley. “All the kids were into hockey, in addition to running his own business, he spent 20 hours a week in the hockey rink. The kids were also very understanding of me going through this process and quite proud and moved by my accomplishment.”

The family support she received also came in the form of inspiration, which Dr. Arab O’Malley took from her father,

“With today’s advances in technology and mastering an artistic skill set, we now have the capacity to preserve tooth structure, and teeth in general, with cosmetic bonding.”

AFTERBEFORE

Artistic application of cosmetic bonding to rejuvenate a smile

Joseph Arab, who she lost last fall. “The challenges of difficult case selections, the rigorous AACD protocol coupled with the personal and time commitments required a perseverance that I attribute to my father, whose hard work and determination inspired me throughout my educational endeavours,” she says. “It is indeed sad that he could not be here to witness this achievement. He would have been very proud.”

Her father, who immigrated to Canada with his six siblings in 1949, was an intelligent man with a strong affinity for mathematics and engineering. He taught for many years in Lebanon, but never had the opportunity to further his own studies. “He was a very hardworking and dedicated man who taught us to be the best we could be at whatever we did and fearlessly reach for our highest goals,” says Dr. Arab O’Malley.

Those lessons hit home early for Dr. Arab O’Malley who graduated from St. Mary’s University, summa cum lauda, with a BSc. and was awarded the University Gold Medal for highest standing in her graduating year. She then completed her postgraduate studies at Dalhousie University where she received her Doctor of Dental Surgery and the Dr. W.H.H. Beckwith Award for greatest proficiency in Operative Dentistry.

Dr. Arab O’Malley has always loved being creative in many facets of her life: having a passion for sewing and designing, a flair for interior decorating, creative cooking and now, of course, designing a smile. When she was considering her career, she knew she wanted something health related because she had a focus and drive to help others and saw an opportunity in dentistry for being very creative and artistic. Working for more than 20 years, Dr. Arab O’Malley has transformed the way she practices.

“With today’s advances in technology and mastering an artistic skill set, we now have the capacity to preserve tooth structure, and teeth in general, with cosmetic bonding. Tooth preservation has become the ultimate progression in the profession,” she says.

Dr. Arab O’Malley has recently launched the Give Back A Smile program and

works with the YMCA to restore smiles and confidence to women in need. Many of these patients present teeth that are extensively decayed, often broken at the gum line. Many women come in fearing the teeth will be extracted, but often Dr. Arab O’Malley is able to restore them and create a beautiful smile.

Outside her office, Dr. Arab O’Malley also advocates the importance of tooth preservation. She recently provided humanitarian aid through a Global Brigades mission to needy communities in Honduras. Dr. Arab O’Malley brought her own dental material and taught many restorative techniques to mission workers as an alternative to extraction, paving the way for positive, sustainable change. Both her eldest children, Keelan and Brianna, have since volunteered on the same mission and witnessed the transformation in the communities as they are now restoring teenagers’ teeth instead of extracting them.

Inspired by his mother’s vision, Keelan had the opportunity to shadow her in her office and learn more about what she does. “When I am working with her and am up close watching her do her magic, I often forget that she is performing dental work because she looks like an artist creating a masterpiece,” he says. “Patients are either speechless or crying of happiness after being handed the mirror and checking out the results. I couldn’t imagine how rewarding it would feel knowing you changed someone’s life by putting a brand-new smile on their face, and my mom does this every day. I am so proud of my mother and what she has accomplished. She is hardworking, dedicated, passionate, and most importantly, my role model.”

Halifax Dental Studio255 Lacewood Dr., Suite102

Halifax902.443.4111

appointments@halifaxdentalstudio.cahalifaxdentalstudio.ca