Palmira Testa-Limas' upscale River Oaks practice offers every luxury and technology imaginable. With a gourmet coffee bar in the reception area and the paraffin hand waxes, video glasses, pain free dental lasers and cosmetic imaging systems that await in the treatment stations, a trip to the dentist never looked so inviting.

But for a number of her patients, Testa-Limas provides something even more valuable--a new beginning. As one of seven Houston-area dentists taking part in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry's Give Back a Smile Program, Testa-Limas offers free cosmetic dental care for victims of domestic violence.

"These are people who are held back from their true selves and from what they want to achieve in life. As a dentist, I just want to help people with their physical and emotional selves. What we do, for lack of a better term, is plastic surgery for teeth." The only criterion for these patients is that they have ended their relationship with the abuser and have record of that for one year. "I think this is a wonderful program that provides an amazing opportunity for women to have a fresh start with a better self image."

Testa-Limas first learned of the program while attending a dental convention three years ago with her sister, fellow dentist and Southwestern graduate Amanda Testa-Canto '86. At the time, the two were in practice together and both volunteered their expertise to the cause.

"I worked with my sister from the time I graduated from the University of Texas Dental Branch-Houston in 1994 until February of 2002. She taught me so much, and we made a great team. It was incredible practicing with someone who I knew had the same ethical values as I do, the same caring manner with patients and offered the same quality in their dentistry. I only left because it was time for 'little sister' to be on her own."

Outside of her time at Southwestern, Testa-Limas has grown up, lived and worked in Houston since her family moved from California in 1979. Aspiring to attend medical school, she followed her sister to Georgetown and majored in biology. On campus, she worked as a resident assistant, joined the Hispanic Awareness Society and "was one of the baseball team's greatest fans!"

After graduating and spending a year at MD Anderson Cancer Center doing research on small cell lung cancer, she had second thoughts on medical school. "I love medicine, but someday I really wanted to be a mom with a career that offered me more flexibility. I was my sister's patient while she was in dental school, so I got more and more exposure to dentistry through her. I found that I could work with my hands, still utilize my passion for medicine in dentistry and transform people's smiles. It was the best decision I ever made."

She is well on her way to the family she desires, having married Albert Limas last September. Together, they spend time scuba diving, snow skiing, traveling and dancing. Last year, she lost 40 pounds by training for a body building competition that she won. "Working out that hard and eating that clean was harder than dental school. It was an exciting achievement!"

Seeing a "new you" in the mirror can serve as both motivation and inspiration. It can open doors you never knew were there. Just ask her patients.