More on ABC's Extreme Makeover

When Pam revealed herself to her family and friends after being away for six months, she was completely changed. Plastic surgeons had tweaked and tucked her face and her figure was more curvaceous in the correct places. At least one of the spectators was focusing narrowly on only one of Pam’s prominent new features,“I don’t know what everyone else was looking at, but I was looking at her teeth,” said Elgin dentist, Dr. Dean Lodding. “Thank goodness, they looked good.”

Pam’s makeover and subsequent appearance were all part of the filming of ABC’s reality show Extreme Makeover, in which a lucky contestant gets the ultimate body tuneup in a few hectic weeks. Dr. Lodding was flown from his St. Charles dental office out to Los Angeles recently to participate as the show’s cosmetic dentist.

Seasoned cosmetic dentist, Dr. Lodding worked on six patients in just one day for the show. The most common operation he did was to apply a carefully shaped porcelain veneer to a prepared tooth, remaking the patients smile. Dr. Lodding has described his first big brush with Hollywood as feeling very natural. “You’re not thinking about the fact there’s 13 million viewers watching the show.”

Patients for the show were chosen based on a submission of a video and biography detailing why the applicant wanted changes made to his or her body. "The patients chosen all wanted drastic changes and for the right reasons," reassured Dr. Lodding. "And sometimes, the changes are dramatic."

“Looking at one of my patient’s before pictures, she was only 47 but looked like she was 62. Afterward, she looked like she was in her early forties. It was absolutely incredible,” enthused Dr. Lodding. “It’s one thing to have a result where a couple people see it, but this one is going to be seen by millions and millions.”

Dr. Lodding said he thinks one of the good things about the show is that it demonstrates that cosmetic alterations, especially dental ones, are not just reserved for celebrities but are available to average, middle Americans. But, he cautions that people should always research their cosmetic dentist first. Dr. Lodding is one of only 200 cosmetic dentists accredited through the National Academy of Cosmetic Dentists, which is the world’s largest such organization. “Everyone wants to say they’re a cosmetic dentist,” Dr. Lodding warned. “But the level of experience of people who say they’re a cosmetic dentist is so varied.”

Dr. Lodding told us that plans are already being made for the next season of Extreme Makeover and that he would love to be a part of it again. “The patients are all incredibly good, incredibly nice people. There's a lot of tears, a lot of emotion."