Dr. Susan Estep

Let's talk about lips ... and why "filler" isn't a bad word. 💋

Here's something most people don't realize: as we age, we naturally lose volume in our lips. It's subtle, and it happens slowly ... but that quiet loss of fullness can age the whole face in a way we feel before we can name it.

The lips thin. The corners of the mouth soften downward. The face looks a touch more tired, even when we feel great.

So why does "lip filler" make so many people cringe?

Because we've all seen it done badly. Overfilled. Distorted. That instantly-recognizable "done" look that announces itself across a room.

But that isn't what filler is ... it's what filler looks like in the wrong hands, or in too large a dose.

Done well, it doesn't add something that was never there. It gently restores what time has taken. The goal is never bigger ... the goal is you, refreshed and balanced. So natural that people notice you look well-rested and not "worked on."

Swipe through the before and after. Notice it doesn't look like "more" ... it just looks like her ... softened and refreshed. 🤍

As a cosmetic dentist, I understand facial harmony and the anatomy around the mouth at a level most injectors simply don't reach. That's the difference between a result that looks like filler ... and one that just looks like you.

If you've been curious but nervous about looking overdone, that exact concern is why you should come in for a conversation. I will not give you more than you need.

Schedule a consultation: Link in bio. 🔗

Actual patient · individual results vary.

Something I care about deeply has an upcoming audience it deserves. 🌿

I've been invited to give a lecture next month to a multidisciplinary room ... physicians, dentists, nurses, hygienists, and the medical and dental students who are the future of both fields ... all together in one place.

The topic is one I've spent my career living: integrative dental medicine. The truth that your mouth is not separate from the rest of your body.

The health of your gums, your oral microbiome, your bite, even the way you breathe ... it all ripples outward. Into your heart. Your gut. Your sleep. Your whole-body wellness.

For too long, medicine and dentistry have worked in separate silos, treating the mouth as if it existed on its own. That's changing. And getting to help connect those dots, with the research to back it up, in front of both future and practicing providers, is exactly why I'm spending my free time in preparation.

Swipe to see where I am right now: two screens, a glass of water, and a lot of research ... deep in preparation. 📚

Because the more we treat the body as one connected system, the better we serve every single patient who trusts us with their care.

I'm grateful, and just a little nervous in the best way. 🤍

Is your dentist talking to you about your systemic health? Schedule a consultation: link 🔗 in bio.

Educational content · DrSusanaEstep · Atlanta, GA

Happy Birthday, Mom! You've been in Heaven for 3 years now, and I miss you more every day. Can you believe both Sammie and Oscar are now away at college?? Where does the time go? I know you're here with me...with us...I hear you in the mourning dove's song, and at the chance glimpse of a bald eagle. I'm in gratitude every day for the effort and strength you brought to raising Rusty and me. God knows we weren't "easy." But you gave it your absolute "all." And I try to mimic you in so many ways. I miss you every day, and I'm happy knowing you're dancing in Heaven and making Heaven even lovelier every day. We all love you so much, Nama. Happy Birthday 💓

The bacteria in your mouth can travel much further than you'd think...all the way to a developing pregnancy. 🌿

I want to share something that too few women are told: the health of your mouth and the health of a pregnancy are tightly connected.

There's a common oral bacterium called Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn). It lives in many mouths without issue. But when the oral environment becomes imbalanced, through gum disease or inflammation, this bacterium can begin to behave as a pathogen and can enter the bloodstream through inflamed gum tissue and travel to places it was never meant to reach.

Researchers have shown that F. nucleatum can cross into the placenta using a specific adhesion protein (called FadA) that loosens the barriers between blood-vessel cells...allowing it to reach the fetal-placental unit. Once there, it's been associated with serious complications: preterm birth, stillbirth, and infection of the amniotic environment.

And emerging research is now exploring this same bacterium's possible role in fertility and conditions like endometriosis and PCOS. That science is rapidly developing.

I'm not sharing this to frighten you. I want to empower you:

Your oral health is not separate from your reproductive health. Caring for your gums before and during pregnancy is one of the most overlooked things a woman can do for herself and her baby.

If you're planning a pregnancy, trying to conceive, or already expecting, a healthy mouth belongs on your checklist, right alongside your prenatal vitamins. 🤍

This is the complete health dentistry conversation I have with my patients every day.

Planning ahead, or have questions about your oral health during pregnancy? I'd love to talk. Consultations link in bio. 🔗

Sources: Han et al., "Fusobacterium nucleatum induces premature and term stillbirths in pregnant mice," Infection and Immunity (2004); Vander Haar et al., "Fusobacterium nucleatum and adverse pregnancy outcomes: Epidemiological and mechanistic evidence," (2018). Educational content — always consult your physician or OB-GYN. Not a substitute for individual medical advice.

The real test wasn't the mirror in my office. It was his mother's kitchen table. ✨
This patient, a successful professional, came to me wanting to brighten and improve his smile. Simple enough. But there was one thing he wasn't sure about: the gap between his front teeth.
He'd had it his whole life. It was his. A signature. He wasn't sure he wanted to let it go.
So we didn't rush the decision. When I placed his provisional veneers, I closed the gap, temporarily, and let him live with it. A test drive. A full week to see himself, laugh, eat, work, and decide.
After that week, I offered to open it back up.
He said no. He'd fallen in love with his smile.
From there, the plan was minimally invasive by design: professional whitening first, then just four minimal-prep veneers to refine his proportions, close the gap, and match his newly brightened smile. Nothing over-done. Nothing that didn't need doing.
But here's my favorite part. 🤍
He told me the true test would come when he flew home to visit his mom: the person who'd known his smile longer than anyone.
He came back laughing. She hadn't noticed. Not on day one, not on day two. It wasn't until their last morning together that she paused and realized something was different; and she smiled approvingly when she realized he closed his gap.
That is the whole goal. Not "what did you do?"...just you, looking like the most confident version of yourself.
We called that a success. And so did he. 😊
Swipe to see his before image. 👉
Considering brightening or refining your smile without losing what makes it yours? That's exactly the conversation I love to have. Consultations, link in bio. 🔗
Shared with my patient's enthusiastic written permission. Actual patient · individual results vary.