Apr. 6, 2019

By Claire Tadokoro
Tribune Reporter

In season three of the beloved Netflix series, “Queer Eye” hit our very own Kansas City. While the whole series is a binge-worthy hit among viewers, episode three of the third season brought some of the Fab Five and a Kansas City pit master and entrepreneur to the office of one of the area’s finest cosmetic dentists, Dr. Holli Careswell.

“My passion for cosmetic dentistry stems from my love of art and science,” said Dr. Careswell. “Being able to sculpt, contour, and match teeth is like a scientific puzzle that I get to use my artistic skills to solve.”

In this touching “Queer Eye” episode, Dr. Careswell was asked to do just that.

Mary Jones, co-owner of Kansas City’s Jones Bar-B-Q with sister Deborah Jones, suffered a childhood accident that had left her smile and oral health impacted.

As the Fab Five strived to transform and bolster all aspects of the restaurant, they took it a step further by making over the owners to make them feel as fabulous as their loyal clients saw them and sought Dr. Careswell’s services to help Mary Jones.

“Mary was missing a front tooth from a bike accident when she was a child,” said Dr. Careswell of Kallsnick and Careswell Family & Cosmetic Dentistry office. “She also had a damaged tooth which was originally restored with a gold crown. Her goals were to remove the gold and replace the front tooth.”

“I also noticed that she was covering her mouth when speaking and laughing, so I could tell it was a social issue for her.”

To correct it, Dr. Careswell placed a 3-unit bridge for Jones to replace the missing tooth and repair the adjacent damaged tooth.

“A bridge is a permanently cemented prosthesis that mimics the look of natural tooth structure,” said Dr. Careswell. “She can function normally with it and it stays in place permanently, so it was a great option for her.”

Tan France and Jonathan Van Ness of the Fab Five sat with Jones during the entire procedure to help her feel comfortable and to be there for her during the successful, tearful reveal that left both the patient and provider visibly affected.

“It is still emotional for me even after doing smile makeovers for 20 years!” Careswell said. “It makes me very proud to be able to make a difference in someone’s life. I was thrilled to see her smile big with confidence immediately after the procedure. I hope people will see the positive benefit that dentistry can have. Dentistry doesn’t have to be scary, it can be life-changing!”

“I can smile again,” said Jones during taping. “Thank you.”

She laughed through her tears as France and Van Ness gushed over her new smile and held up a mirror for her to admire the new handiwork. Since then, she has been back to visit Dr. Careswell to “put the finishing touches on her smile.”

As a gift of gratitude, the Jones sisters have sent Dr. Careswell their famous secret bar-b-q sauce and are sending her entire office lunch soon.

The episode is an extraordinary example of female entrepreneurs and professionals building each other up in our community. Watch the rest of “Queer Eye” now on Netflix.

For more information and photos, follow @Dr.Holli on Instagram and her Facebook page Kallsnick & Careswell, D.D.S. P.C.

To schedule a consultation, please call 816-524-6300.

Jones Bar-B-Q is located at 6706 Kaw Drive, Kansas City, KS 66111.