Thalia said "grah yah puhss bae! We weh hah sho musch fun todah!" (Grab your purse babe! We will have so much fun today!)
Megan was still in shock at what had happened. While she already had so much orthodontic gear in her mouth, this new acrylic and wire splint was on a different level. It felt so huge and foreign in her mouth. And she was having to make a conscious effort to close her lips over the new invader. Thalia saw the look on her friends face and said "Mehgah bae, yah lipsh luh sho sheductah. An bah thah tahm we geh bah eh weh fee normah." (Megan babe, your lips look so seductive. And by the time we get back it will feel normal.)
Thalia grabbed Megan's hand and pulled her back into the bedroom. She held her hand as she took her over towards the bedside table where Megan's purse was. Letting go of Megan's hand, Thalia picked up the purse and placed it over Megan's shoulder. This gave Thalia an idea. Her face lit up as she turned towards Megan. Thalia said "ahfah weh geh a few drinksh ah that Polo, letsh go shoppin for new bagsh!" (After we get a few drinks at the Polo, let's go shopping for new bags.)
Megan, still in a state of shock, simply grunted "oh aye". (OK.) Upon hearing herself she closed her eyes. She wondered how she was going to do this.
Thalia ignored this and grabbed her friend's hand again. Thalia said "letsh go show Brah yah new shplen!" (Let's go show Brad your new splint!)
Thalia practically pranced into the den pulling Megan along behind her. Josie followed, almost like she was there to catch Megan if she broke free and tried to run. As they approached the oval glass coffee table around which the others were assembled Tom noticed the trio and quit talking. He looked at Megan and then turned to his wife. He asked "so what does Megan think of her new splint? I imagine it was quite the surprise."
Brad asked "Megan's new splint?"
Tom said "yes, Thalia wanted to surprise Megan with one of her own. She thought Megan would love it. She certainly didn't want Megan to feel left out."
Brad focused on his wife. He immediately saw the distress on her face. He asked her "sweetheart, are you alright?"
Megan looked at him. She didn't really know if she was alright or not. Brad stood and began to make his way over towards her. As he stopped in front of her he asked again "baby?"
Megan closed her eyes and willed herself to speak clearly. Opening her eyes she said "ahm ahaihgt. Ish jush difween. Eh feelsh sho beeg." (I am alright. It's just different. It feels so big.)
Thalia squeeled "oh bae, thah wash sho goo." (Oh babe, that was so good.) When she wrapped her in a hug from behind, her Milwaukee brace audibly clanged against Megan's though it was muted by the layers of clothing. Thalia cut her eyes towards Brad and said "ishn't she sho cute? And show shexee?" (Isn't she so cute? And so sexy?)
Brad ignored Thalia, focused entirely on Megan. He asked "are you sure you are ok?"
Megan for the first time with her new splint tried to smile. It felt to her more like a snarl. She said "ahm oh aye." (I am ok.)
Brad said "can I take a closer look?" He had been curious about what the splints the other women all wore looked like earlier, now that his wife was in one he had to know what she was dealing with. Megan bared her lips. Brad peered into her mouth. He saw the splint, Megans teeth pushed firmly into the molded bite pattern on the top and bottom. He then saw the wires that tightly bound her jaws together holding it in place. He said "it looks like an oversized post operative recovery splint. Is your bite comfortable in it baby? Is anything poking or rubbing uncomfortably?"
For the first time since she had gotten it, Megan really focused on how it felt. Beyond just feeling overwhelming. She felt around inside her mouth with her tongue. Then she maneuvered her lips around the outside of it. Then she stopped and just focused on the feel of her bite. She made eye contact with Brad and answered "eh feelsh goo." (It feels good.)
Thalia exclaimed "she, I toh yah thah yah woo luh eh." (See, I told you that you would love it.)
Brad looked at Megan sternly and said "you would tell me if it was hurting you?"
Megan realized several things. The splint, while feeling huge in her mouth, was not uncomfortable. Second, in a way, it did feel comforting. Third, she absolutely loved the attention from Brad. His concern for her was making her so hot. Yet with her belt on there was nothing she could do about that. She took Brad's hands in hers. She looked into his eyes and said "eh feelsh goo. Buh do yah lahk eh?" (It feels good. But do you like it?)
Brad leaned in and whispered in her ear "I have never seen anything as sexy as you are right now". Leaning back he said "I just want to make sure you are ok. You know though, I have gotten away from you locking your scopes shut during the day. That provided incredible support for your TMJ joints. This will do the same. And with the added bonus that it will help ensure that your Milwaukee brace chin cup doesn't interfere with your orthodontics." Brad remembered something from dental school, a picture in a text book. It was of a patient from the 1960's in a Milwaukee brace with a large splint in her mouth. He didn't remember all the details, but he remembered the chapter was about the possible impacts of orthopedic bracing on orthodontic treatment. He turned towards Tom and said "Dr. Rothstein has a better memory than me. I had completely forgotten they actually taught us that orthopedic bracing could impact orthodontic treatment."
Tom looked at Brad before turning his head towards Thalia and giving her a big smile. Tom turned his head back towards Brad and said "well, it wasn't actually Dr. Rothstein who thought of it. No, it was my Thalia. When she first got her appliances and headgear she hated them. Then when she was casted, and then fit with her Milwaukee and leg braces, she HATED it all. She may have hated me for suggesting it."
Thalia chimed in "ah deh ayte you. Ah wash angwee abou the ho sitwashin." (I didn't hate you. I was just angry about the whole situation.)
Tom turned towards Thalia and said "baby, you are amazing. I love you so much. And I am so proud of you." Brad could see this praise made Thalia smile. He might have even seen a little shiver go through her. He realized how similar her behavior was to Megan's. He wondered how similar they were. And if maybe part of Thalia didn't really enjoy her treatment. His thoughts were broken by Tom.
Tom continued "My baby was so unhappy for a while. She did an incredible job hiding it from others. But I knew she hated everything she was forced to wear. Capital H. A. T. E. D hated. But over the past month or two she has come to really appreciate what they are doing for her. She has really embraced it!" He gave a laugh, though no one else did. He said "well, I tried. Anyway, Thalia has become really interested in her treatment and has been doing research on her own. She is the one that came across a chapter in a dental text about the negative impact that the Milwaukee brace could cause on the mouth. Unintended changes and movement of teeth and bites. And negative impacts that the Milwaukee brace could have on orthodontic treatment. She brought it up to me. I mentioned it to Dr. Rothstein. He and Thalia together have been researching on how to manage the impacts of the Milwaukee brace on orthodontic care. So no, it wasn't Dr. Rothstein that I give credit for the splints. It is Thalia." He thought a minute and said "ok, Dr. Rothstein does get credit for the pharyngeal extension."
Despite everything he had just heard, the thing that Brad's brain focused on was 'pharyngeal extension'. He didn't know what in the world that meant. He asked "pharyngeal extension?"
Tom looked at him and said "I was going to show you some new products we have developed to compliment the Miller appliance system. I was going to wait until after Elyse' presentation to show you. But perhaps it would make more sense to show you now, and then show you the marketing campaign." He looked at Elyse and asked "what that be ok with you Elyse?"
Elyse replied "yesh sah. ov coush". (Yes sir, of course.)
Tom said "excellent, we will do that." He turned towards Megan, Thalia and Josie and said "but first, I want you three to go out on the town and have some fun." He added "you all look incredible. I just hope you don't break any necks. Megan, I love your new splint. It suits you so well. Marcus, will you please escort these three ladies, the three prettiest woman in Los Angeles I might add, to the car."
As they departed Brad shouted "Megan baby, I love you. If you need anything or have any problems, I am a phone call away."
Megan stopped and turned towards him. She smiled, a bit more naturally than her previous attempt though her mouth was nothing but a maze of acrylic and steel, and said "thah yah bae. We weh be fahn. Buh thah yah. An ah luv yah too." (Thank you babe. We will be fine. But thank you. And I love you too.)
As she turned back she couldn't believe the thought that ran through her head. She thought that having this splint might not be horrible. No in fact, she thought it might be a little fun for her and Brad. Then she realized something. She turned back towards Brad and walked in his direction. As she did he asked "what is it?"
She said "cuh heh". (Come here.)
He stood and made the short walk in her direction. When they met, Megan wrapped him in a hug. She was sure to squeeze into him tightly, so that he could feel the solid steel of her chastity belt shield pressing against his thight. As soon as he felt it his eyes grew wider. As Megan let go of him she smiled when she saw the look on his face. It was a mix of surprise and lust. She winked at him and said "we weh be goo gurlsh." (We will be good girls.) She then turned and made her way to and out the doorway, Marcus closing the door behind him.
As he turned back, Tom didn't notice the look on Brad's face. Instead, he said "ok, now down to business. Kimberley, would you please get the box of new product samples?"
As Brad made his way back to the couch he watched as Kimberley stiffly and awkwardly tried to stand. After two attempts Tom stood and took her hands and helped pull her up to a standing position. Brad had missed it earlier, but it appeared her legs were locked straight, unable to bend at the knees. He had also noticed the leg braces she wore printing against her dress. Once she was standing she looked sheepishly at Tom Williams and said "thah yah suh". (Thank you sir.)
Tom gave her a warm smile and said "you are most welcome." Reading the look on her face Tom said "again Kim, it is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of. You are simply taking care of your health." Brad saw him give her another big smile before he said "but it doesn't impact your job or your importance to this company. And the doctor said the best thing you can do is walk on them. You can manage the box can't you? No, I know you can."
She said "yesh suh. Thah yah." (Yes sir. Thank you.)
As soon as she took a few steps it was clear her legs were locked at the knees. She took awkward stiff legged steps towards a cardboard box that sat on an adjacent table under a window. While she was wearing an ankle length dress, it flowed and swayed as she walked. Brad could occasionally see the stainless steel of her braces didn't end at her ankles. Instead, they disappeared into the flat Mary Jane shoes she wore. Even more, he realized it wasn't just her knees that were locked. Her ankles were too. When she got to the box it looked to Brad that she was already tired. He made a step in her direction when Tom softly said "let her get it, she needs to practice."
Brad stopped and stood in place a second. Tom said "it is just part of her treatment. Brad, why don't you have a seat? I have several exciting things to show you."
Brad sat, though he could not take his eyes off of Kimberley as she shuffled back over with the cardboard box clutched in her arms. He couldn't even imagine how difficult it must be to be the VP of sales for a major corporation and be faced with being immobilized from her neck to her toes, with Miller headgear attached via rods to the Miller appliance in her mouth, all wired shut around a splint that made clear speech impossible. For the first time, he wondered if this was too much.
As she sat the box down on the glass table between them he was at least relieved to see she could bend at the hips. As if reading his mind Tom said "Kimberley's brace is truly a technological marvel. It locks at the hips as well, but only when it senses too much pressure. It is a smart brace, it actually compensates in real time with the patient. It is amazing. And it also has a manual override so it can be locked manually. For example when a patient goes to bed. And the most amazing thing, at least to me, is that it can all be controlled with an app on the patient's or a caretaker's phone. We won't get into the details now, there will be plenty of time for that later. But suffice it to say this is going to revolutionize the field of orthopedic bracing. Just like the Miller appliance system is going to revolutionize the field of orthodontics."
Brad had been focused on Tom and had taken his eyes off of Kimberley. He heard a 'floof' from the couch across from him. He had seen it happen out of his peripherael vision. Kimberley, unable to bend her ankles or knees, and been forced to fall back and onto the couch. As she used her arms to straighten herself up, much as Brad thought a paraplegic would have to, Tom spoke. He said "low seats like this couch are tough. But we have arranged for all new furniture at our headquarters. These ladies were some of the guinea pigs to try out different options. I had several different manufacturers bring in samples and have the ladies try them each for a few days. We went with the manufacturer that won the group consensus vote. Of course they were the most expensive, but I will spare no expense for the health and happiness of Orpsco employees."
Brad looked around after this last statement. He wasn't sure he agreed with Tom. None of the ladies seated across from him looked very happy about their situations. Tom stood and said "on with the show."
The first thing he pulled out was an oversized blue retainer case. He popped it open and handed the splint inside it to Brad. As he did he said "here is the splint all the ladies are wearing. Like the one Megan is now wearing. It is obviously customized for each patients bite. It is much like a standard post surgical splint. Except for one key difference. Noticed that it is primarily standard acrylic with wire support molded in. But, feel where the tooth grooves are." Brad did. He found it soft and squishy. He looked up at Tom, a surprised look on his face. Tom said "ah, you may already have guessed why we didn't just go with a hard splint. But if not, itis so that the teeth can move with enough force placed on them. For example, force from a Miller appliance expanding laterally. Or force from Miller headgear pull the jaw forward anteriorly. That is also why it is oversized and pushes the lips more forward than a standard splint. There is clearance along the outer edge to allow for teeth to move. Patients will still likely need a series of three or four over the course of treatment. But they won't negatively impact expansion in anyway. Thoughts?"
Brad said "it is ingenious. But how do patients tolerate it? Will they wear it?"
Tom shrugged his shoulders and said "they will tolerate it with the right amount of reinforcement. And if it is wired in, they won't have any choice but to wear it."
Brad asked "but for patients in active expansion, how will they turn it daily?"
Tom said "they won't. They will come into the office once a week. Their provider will unwire the splint, make seven turns on their expander, and wire it back in. Rinse and repeat until necessary expansion is achieved."
Brad had almost gasped when he heard 'seven turns'. He said "seven turns? At once. That is going to be excruciating for patients."
Tom said "it is uncomforable no doubt. But we have a protocol for pain management that makes it bearable. All of these ladies here along with Thalia and Josie are on this schedule now. They are all managing. A couple even prefer this over one turn a day. They have to deal with outright pain for a day, discomfort for another, and then they get a five day break. As opposed to feeling discomfort every day, seven days a week, which they felt when turning daily. Ok, enough about that. Next..."
Tom pulled a long plastic snap top box. He opened it and pulled out an alien looking object. It looked like the splint Brad was still holding. But extended back from the molars were two long acrylic and wire arms. They looked almost like a long duck beak. Brad couldn't help but say "what in the...?"
Tom said "this is a splint with a the pharyngeal extension. It works the same way to cushion and protect the teeth as the splint we just looked at. But, these two extensions, customized to the patient, reach back into the throat of the patient. Into the pharynx, the region of the throat behind the mouth. Many people with sleep apnea will benefit from this. One of the common causes of sleep apnea is the collapse of the pharynx at night when they sleep. The Miller appliance and headgear will eventually cure this in patients, but until they receive the needed airway remodeling it is still an issue. Patients can wear this while in active treatment to prevent that from happening. Via scans, we can determine where the patients airway is narrowest. That is the area that needs the most support. These arms, to use a laymen's term, prevent their throat from collapsing at night. Much like the timbers in a mine keep it from collapsing. Some patients are lucky, they only need support in the nasopharynx. That is the area right behind the mouth where our sinuses are. But most need support in laryngopharynx. That is the area behind the mouth and chin. Further down in the throat. Our study, which is only in its infancy of course, is showing this is much more effective and efficient than other current options, even or maybe especially CPAP."
Again, Brad didn't know how anyone could manage to wear such a thing. Would a patient agree to wear a splint that went halfway down their throat?
As if sensing what he was about to ask Tom said "the patient can have a tough time during the adoption phase. It doesn't seem to bother some patients, like Elyse here. She was able to tolerate it immediately and have it wired in the same day. Some other patients with strong gag reflexes have to work their way up to it. Miss Shirley here was in that camp. It took her over a week to build up her tolerance to it. She just had hers wired in on Wednesday and every day gets easier. Isn't that right dear?"
Brad turned towards Shirley. He watched her extend her head forward and swallow before she said "yesh shuh". (Yes sir.) She stopped, extended her head forward and swallowed again. She said "esh getten bettah". (It's gotten better.) She repeated swallowing and said "eh leash ah doh hav", she visibly swallowed again, "tah weh mah cpah nah." (At least I don't have to wear my cpap now.) When she was done she swallowed again. Brad thought it looked agonizing.
Tom said "Shirley is glad she is fixing the root cause of her sleep apnea and not just putting a bandaid over it. Now, our next product. It is a very small modification of a product you are very familiar with. You may not have even noticed it though it has been in front of you since you arrived here." He pulled out a Miller facemask and handed it to Brad. Tom asked "what do you think?"
Brad was confused by the last statement but didn't say anything. Instead he examined the mask but didn't notice anything unusual about it. It looked like a standard Miller headgear mask. The only thing missing was the main neck strap, he just assumed they had left it off since this was a sample. He looked at Tom and said "looks like standard Miller headgear."
Tom said "notice anything missing?"
Brad said "the neck strap, but that can always be put on later."
Tom asked "what if you didn't need the neck strap with this one yet could still guarantee patient compliance?"
Brad asked "but how?"
Tom said "look at the bottom of the mask, the very bottom of the chincup. Notice two holes slightly larger than the airholes? Now turn it over and look at the backside."
Brad immediately saw the two holes he was talking about. Turning it over, he noticed the plastic of the chincup was slightly thicker than a standard Miller headgear. And on the backside of the two larger holes were two octagon inlays. Inlays that could have mated with a hex head bolt. Brad had been so focused on the mask he hadn't noticed Tom pull another one from the box.
Looking up at the mask in Tom's hands Brad did notice something different. Attached to the chincup was a stainless steel bracket. It was in an modified L shape It was bolted onto the mask, going down then back underneath towards where a patients throat would be. In the bottom of bracket were four holes. Tom smiled and said "we have developed a mating system between a Milwaukee brace and Miller headgear." He looked at Kimberley and said "like Kimberley is wearing."
Brad looked over at Kimberley. He was surprised to see what looked like a smile on her face, the first one he had seen on it since he arrived. Tom continued "Kimberley is testing it out for us. She likes not having to wear the neck strap. Brad, what do you think?"
He looked at Kimberley. She didn't seem bothered by it. At least not anymore bothered by it than any patient in standard Miller headgear. He asked "is it comfortable?"
Kimberley said "at esh actweee mah comforbal than un weh a neh stwap". (It is actually more comfortable than one with a neck strap.)
Brad then realized somethiing. Kimberley had protraction rods attached to it. He asked "but with her rods, how does she take her Milwaukee brace off for her two hours each day?"
Tom said "she doesn't. Kimberley wears her brace full time. Each week, when she goes in to have her expander turned, they allow her out of the brace for her appointment. Our clinic has showers and we have installed a spa of sorts. Each week Kimberley gets a two hour spa service. Shower, hair, skin, full massage, the works. Not a bad way to spend two hours at work. Then she gets back into her brace. She has gotten aclimated to it all incredibly quickly. You don't mind do you Kim?"
Kimberley responded "ah nah eh ish fah the besht." (I know it is for the best.) She actually gave Brad a smile, or an approximation of a smile.
Tom said “and last but not least.” He pulled out what looked like a black hockey or lacrosse face mask, though the wire mesh was smaller and closer together.
Brad asked "what in the world?"
Tom smiled and said "this is a behavior modification mask. This was my idea."
Brad asked "a what?"
Tom said "a few years back Orpsco became a completely smoke free company. There is no tobacco use allowed on or at any Orpsco facility or property. It just seemed like the right, and healthy thing to do. Plus, what kind of image was it for a company focused on oral and orthodontic health to be covered in cigarette butts? But we still had employees sneaking smokes. They had set up an impromptu smoking lounge by the dumpsters. I had it torn down. Despite everyone being well aware of the policy, we still have employees who insist on smoking at Orpsco. Look, if they do it at home that is on them. But when they do it at Orpsco it becomes my business. Because it impacts my business. I have offered all the tools and resources I know of. Free access to nicotine gum, access to online quitting classes, even hypnotherapy. Some employees just will not stop smoking at Orpsco. Some would surprise you too. I hate firing employees. I really do. Even employees that wholeheartedly deserve it. I especially hate the idea of firing someone who is a valuable, productive member of our team. All over a cigarette. But I am fed up. It will stop. But I don't want to fire them. So, I came up with this."
Brad blurted out "a muzzle?"
Tom laughed. He said "no, a behavior modification mask. All voluntary of course. I feel I have given our employees more than enough strikes. Probably too many. This is my last ditch effort to help them save their job. I understand it may seem shocking. But again, this is for them, and because of them. And it is only after they get caught violating the policy as of 8/1. I am not being retroactive. The policy is clear now, if you smoke you will get fired. With one caveat. I will give the employee a mulligan if they agree to wear this at work for three months. Studies show that going three months without a cigarette leads to a 99% effective rate in quiting. I am hoping this will help them. They will still be on their own outside of work, but this is a pretty strong motivator. And it serves as a warning to others. And I understand that it is a bit shocking. The idea. The idea of seeing someone wearing one of these in the corporate office environment. But so far, it has worked. They don't have any choice, they physically can't smoke while wearing this. It looks much more barbaric than it is. They are actually pretty comfortable. And they are compatible with the Miller appliance system and the Morales Milwaukee system."
Brad looked at Tom and asked "and you have employees who have been caught smoking? Despite the threat of wearing one of these? Really?"
Tom pursed his lips and said "sadly nicotine is an incredibly addictive substance. So yes, we have and we do." Tom looked at Elyse and said "Elyse dear, would you show Mr. Miller how yours looks?"
Brad was shocked. Elyse Stevens, the VP of Marketing for Orpsco, wore a muzzle at work. He stared as she pulled her purse out and unzipped it. She pulled a mask out that looked like the one Tom was holding, only hers was a light pink. She slipped it over her face, the straps over her head seemed to already be sized to her head. Positioning it on her face Brad noticed it had a forehead pad and chinpad, similar but much thicker than that of a Petit facemask, which pushed up against the Miller headgear she was already wearing. She then took the other set of straps, they looked like the straps used on a cpap mask Brad thought, and wrapped them around the back of her head. Quickly and without a mirror she attached first the bottom and then top velcro tabs of the headstrap to her mask.
Tom said "see not bad at all! And they have their choice of color. Elyse picked pink. I may be biased since I came up with it, but I think she looks great with it. She looks like someone who wants to quit smoking. Excuse me, she looks like someone who has quit smoking. Elyse was motivated. While our policy is only that she wear it in the office, Elyse even wears it when she is at home. And not only that, she asked if we could make one for her husband too. So he could quit along with her. Of course we agreed. You don't really hate it that much do you Elyse?"
Elyse looked up and made eye contact with Brad. For the first time Brad realized what beautiful eyes she had. He was surprised when she said "eh deh at firsht. But nah, ah am greaful fah it. Ah doh thehn ah cuh have quit withou eh." (I did at first. But now, I am greatful for it. I don't think I could have quit without it.)
Tom said "see Brad, it is not a torture device. Just the opposite. And I am still working it out in my head, but I think this mask has commercial potential too. We just have to figure out how to sell it. Speaking of selling, let us show you how we are going to sell the Miller system." He turned and nodded towards Elyse and said "this is her baby, she made this. And she did incredible. Just the same, I will narrate while Elyse drives the presentation on her laptop." Brad was still looking at Elyse, who had turned her face down towards her laptop. It surprised him that it appeared she was going to leave the pink mask on during the presentation. He thought Tom might be right, she really was used to it and it didn't bother her.
His thoughts were interrupted by Tom who said "Brad, take a look at the projection screen." Tom laughed before he said "or in this case the white sheet hung on the wall." Brad noticed the lights dim. A projector almost inaudibly whirred to life. It projected a black rectangle on the screen. Then the words 'Breathing Is...' appeared on the screen. As the words changed to 'life' a very calming female voice said "Breathing is life." The screen went to black. But Brad could have sworn that between them there was another image. It happened so fast he wasn't sure if he had really seen it. But he swore he saw Josh Herbert, star quarterback for the Chargers, on a treadmill. On his face was yellow Miller headgear. Brad didn't have long to think about it. On the screen the word 'happiness' appeared as the female voice said "breathing is happiness". When the screen went black again Brad was certain he had seen another image. It happened so fast though. But he swore there was a picture of NFL MVP Pet Mahomes and his wife Britt standing on a beach. Both were wearing red Miller headgear. On the screen, the word 'health' appeared as the voice narrated "breathing is health". On the screen Brad knew he had seen another image. It was actress Jess Lawrence laying on her side, tucked in with her eyes closed in bed. She was wearing pink Miller headgear. It was quickly replaced by the word 'performance', again the female voice spoke "breathing is performance". Right on cue there was another picture. Brad couldn't remember her name but he recognized her. She was a former U.S. women's beach volleyball player who was in all kinds of commercials. The picture he knew he had seen on the screen was her up in the air, ready to spike a volleyball. On her face was red, white and blue Miller headgear. The screen went black again for a second or two. Then the words "the future is now" appeared. There was no audio. The words remained there. Brad was wondering if this was it when the word 'BREATHE" appeared on the screen. It was accompanied by the female narrators soothing voice saying the same.
The lights stayed low as the screen went blank. Tom looked at Brad and asked eagerly "well, what do you think? We have a whole ad and commercial campaign planned, but this is going to be the initial roll out. What do you think?"
Brad asked "what did I just see?"
Tom looked at Elyse and smiled broadly. He exclaimed "you nailed it Elyse." Tom turned back to Brad and said "all our focus groups agree. They ask what did I just see? Well, here is who you saw" as he gestured back towards the screen.
Up on the screen was a group picture of everyone who Brad thought he had seen plus a few others, famous female skier Leslie Vonn and world record Olympic swimmer Mark Phelps. It was a group photo, all of them with their arms slung over each other. Most were leaned over towards the camera, all smiling broadly despite the various color Miller headgear they wore. Brad studied their mouths for hints of metal. He swore he saw the tell tell sign of silver hooks in most mouths. Surely, he thought, they were just removable appliances they were wearing. They he noticed something. Britt Mahomes and Leslie Vonn each had protraction rods protruding from their mouths attached to their headgear. He wondered how they managed to do that with a removable retainer like device. Then he noticed something else. Something he would have noticed sooner had he not been so focused on everyone's mouths. Jess Lawrence, who was no less than the current top grossing actress in the world, and Mark Phelps, who was only the most decorated Olympian of all time, and the volleyball player, he remembered her name was Misty Reece, were also all wearing Milwaukee braces in the picture. While everyone else was leaned in towards the camera, these three were held stiffly erect though they still had big smiles on their faces. Phelps and Reece were dressed as they had been when performing at past Olympics, he in only a pair of Speedos and she in a bikini, their Milwaukee braces, each with shoulder cuffs like Abby wore, on full display.
Tom said "so this is our current group of celebrity ambassadors and partners. This is just one of many photos we have from the photo shoot. We will be utilizing many of them in print and online advertising. I am sure the list will grow though as other celebrities and athletes find out what we are doing here."
Brad smiled and said "wow, you certainly have some star power now. How much did that cost?"
Tom laughed before he replied "don't ask. But we are going to have a very positive return on investment. I am certain of that."
Brad continued looking at the screen. He was surprised that all the smiles looked authentic. He asked "just out of curiosity, how did they react when they were asked to wear all that for the commercial and photo shoot."
Tom asked "what do you mean?"
Brad said "it's just, you know, they all have public images. I just wondered how they reacted to being videoed and photographed in Miller headgear. And some of them Miller headgear and Milwaukee braces. I am surprised you got them all to agree to wear them even for a commercial."
Tom looked at Brad. A smile slowly came to Tom's face. He said "Brad, they didn't just wear them for the commercial and photo shoot. No, they are all in active treatment with Orpsco affiliated providers. What you see them wearing is what they are wearing as part of their current active treatments."
Brad's mouth dropped open. He turned towards Tom speechless. Tom smiled and said "remember when I said my goal was to get everyone in the world into the Miller orthodontic system? And now we are going to piggy back that with the Morales Milwaukee system. Now my goal is to get everyone in the world into both of them. No Brad, as incredible as this is, this is just the start."
