What non-dental life motivators commonly trigger dental patients to finally pursue major treatment? A familiar set of life events that shift the patient's priorities enough to push deferred dental work to the top of the action list. Spouse or associate ridicule about appearance, even when delivered casually or carelessly, can crystallize years of accumulated self-consciousness into immediate action. A change in employment that requires more visible public-facing work brings appearance and function into sharp focus. A spouse dying ends the long caregiving period during which the patient deprioritized their own needs, and the survivor begins re-engaging with their own quality of [...]