Drs. Justene and Janice Doan understand dental care both personally and professionally. The San Diego- based sisters both have beautiful, healthy smiles today – but it wasn’t always that way.

Bleak Beginnings to Happy Endings

The Doan sisters were born in Vietnam after the war, Justene in 1975, Janice in 1981, and their prospects were bleak. The young women tried to escape but were captured and imprisoned in a concentration camp. They didn’t have enough to eat. They didn’t even have toothbrushes, and their teeth were full of cavities.

Their new book, “Keys to a Healthy Smile After 40: 7 Secrets to Feeling 7 Years Younger” reveals the miraculous story of their harrowing escape from Vietnam to America.

After receiving dental care in the United States and experiencing firsthand the transformation in their health, confidence, and smiles, the sisters decided to pursue careers in dentistry and founded A+ Family Dentistry in San Diego.

“We went from poverty to running a successful seven-figure dental business,” says Dr. Janice.

Talk about inspiration.

Now they help others using their uniquely branded system of empathy, education, and the latest breakthrough techniques in dentistry.

The Doan sisters share how their difficult childhood experiences have affected them as people and as dental professionals.

“I feel that these experiences make me stronger and more grateful as a person.  I think it helps me to face life challenges more gracefully.  It helps me to have more empathy and understanding as a dental professional,” says Dr. Justene.

“I feel our early challenges gave us more fuel to work harder and do more to make bigger a difference in the world,” says Dr. Janice.

Justene Doan, DDS and Janice Doan, DDS were honored as members of the Incisal Edge Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2015. A lot can happen in three years.

Together they made a decision to share their story, and launched the writing process in early 2017. In just 18 months, their book was published with Same Page LLC.

Dr. Justene shares what inspired them to focus on the concept of 7 Secrets to Feeling 7 Years Younger.

Revelations of Turning 40

“I personally turned 40 in June of 2015 and noticed that my gum needed more maintenance than before.  I went from a cleaning every 4 to 6 months to every 3 months.  My metabolism also seemed to slow down, there were dark spots on my skin and a few gray hairs appeared.  Then I noticed it in our patients.  When patients over 40 years old haven’t come in for a few years, the impact of that is much larger on them than on patients under 40 years old.  That what inspired me to talk to Janice, and the genesis of our book,” Dr. Justene says.

In addition, when Dr. Justene turned 40, she noticed she had to work more on her appearance to keep up with her aging. She wanted to feel and look younger. Drs. Justene and Janice noticed their friends were more focused on plastic surgery instead of dental visits. This frustrated the sisters.

 “There’s a myth that plastic surgery will rejuvenate your face, when the truth is that the best way to rejuvenate your face is to have a healthy smile. Most people didn’t know that they can reverse aging through proper dental care. And it’s not their fault.”

How This Book Will Help

Most patients don’t know they need to change their approach to dental care after age 40, which is why Drs. Justene and Janice want to spread the message.

“It’s not too late to turn back the clock and regain a beautiful, youthful smile. You can become healthier, more confident, and more attractive,” says Dr. Janice.

“I have patients ask me all the time, ‘Why do my teeth look shorter? Why do my teeth look darker? Why are my teeth more sensitive to eating ice cream?’ They would then follow with statements like ‘I didn’t have to do that when I was younger,’ ” says Dr. Janice.

The interior of A+ Family Dentistry.

She continues, “As people age, they don’t realize that their teeth age as well. Did you know that the jaw muscle is the strongest muscle in the human body? We use our teeth three times a day, if not more, to eat. Every time you chew, you’re putting about 70 pounds of pressure or more. What this means to you is by the time you’re 40 years old, your teeth might look like a car accident happened.  So, it’s really important, especially over 40, to get proper dental care because 70 pounds of pressure a couple times a day will take its toll. So, you would definitely need more dental care as you get older.”

She continues, “Moreover, our smiles fade as we age. Why? Find out more from our book with the 7 Secrets to Feeling 7 Years Younger.”

Dr. Janice was kind enough to share a sneak preview.

Want to know a secret?

“Your teeth are the foundation of your beauty. Did you know that your jawbone is the foundation of your face? No matter how much makeup you put on, or how much plastic surgery you have done, if you don’t have a good stable foundation to your face, your face will cave in. It is possible to reverse the signs of aging by taking proper care of your teeth.”

The Doan sisters created a video about this on their website; check it out here.

“I think video is powerful in getting our message out to the world and that’s why we have included it as part of our marketing strategy. We have been getting a lot of positive responses from our patients, other businesses, other entrepreneurs, as well as other dentists,” says Dr. Janice.

Dr. Justene Doan (left) and Dr. Janice Doan (right)

Dr. Janice shares how dentists and their team can affect the aging process, along with feelings of self-worth and confidence in patients.

“We wanted to help our patients to understand how their smile can affect their self-worth and confidence, which can lead to a better job, better relationships, better income, and a better life.

When our patients feel and look good, they always do better in their own lives. They would share with us their wins and successes in life through the process of improving their oral health and smile.

There is a link between your smile and your income. USA Today reported more than half of the top 100 billionaires started out in sales, and successful salespeople have winning smiles,” says Dr. Janice.

Challenges are worth the rewards

The Doan sisters share their challenges as first-time authors.

“We wanted an easy-reading book to share our story and our message, so it took a while for us to crystallize the seven keys,” says Dr. Justene.

“There was so much that we wanted to share, but we had to find a way to make it simple and easy for anyone to read without any dental background,” says Dr. Janice.

Drs. Justene and Janice discuss what they have found most rewarding about authoring a book, and how sharing their thoughts on paper differs from their careers as dentists.

“Reflecting on my life experiences and sharing this process with my sister, who has been there most of the time but has a different perspective, is super rewarding.  We also have a unique message which we share with our patients. But now with our book, we will reach more people and hopefully improve their dental health,” says Dr. Justene.

“The thing I found most rewarding about authoring our book is the ability to reach more people and not be limited to just our community in San Diego. We can affect more lives across the world and help more people to understand the importance of proper dental care that can last them to their later years.  We want to make a bigger difference,” says Dr. Janice.

Why You Should Read This Book

“I would like people to read our book because we are very passionate about spreading the message that it’s not too late to get a healthy, beautiful smile.  Most people have no clue how to care for their teeth in their 40s, 50s, and beyond, and they’re jeopardizing their smile and their health without knowing it. It’s not their fault.  I want to bring awareness and work with other dentists to educate patients with the same expertise, patience, and clarity.  Other dentists and dental care professionals can benefit from our transformative dental training. Ask me how we can help you too,” says Dr. Janice.

Dr. Janice Doan with her toddler son Jake at the 2015 Incisal Edge 40 Under 40 celebration in New York City.

What’s Next?

“Maybe another book.  We have some ideas in the making, so stay tuned.  We want to reach out and help a lot more people and book is a great way to do it.  We also started the process of opening a Dental Assistant school in San Diego, right next to our practice,” says Dr. Justene.

A+ Family Dentistry in San Diego, California.

“Maybe a movie deal is next,” quips Dr. Janice. “At this time, I plan to be at the Incisal Edge 40 Under 40 Next Gen Summit later this month in New York to celebrate with other honorees this year. We are also planning to have a launch party in San Diego to celebrate with our patients, our team, and our community. We have also been on a few Facebook pages live talking about our book.”

How To Purchase This Book

Keys to a Healthy Smile After 40: 7 Secrets to Feeling 7 Years Younger is available through Amazon and soon brick and mortar bookstores. The Doan sisters are in the process of  making it available on Kindle as well.

For a FREE first chapter,  visit www.keystoahealthysmileafter40.com for a limited time.

To find out more, call A+ Family Dentistry at 619-265-2467 or visit www.Aplusfamilydentistry.com