It’s never too late for a beautiful smile
During the annual preventive dental check-up camps at her school, I would meet the principal. Every time I saw her, I wondered how come a woman with such a dynamic personality was getting along with those prognathic teeth. Finding the courage, once, I pointed it out to her, but citing personal and professional preoccupations, she brushed off my suggestions for a smile enhancement procedure. She said she had missed the bus in her younger days because of lack of dental awareness. Hence, her natural teeth remained where they were, both protruded and elongated for the rest of her life.
Years passed by and I couldn’t meet her after she retired from the school. About eight months ago, I saw her in my clinic. Her consultation slip showed she was 71, but greeting her, I could still sense her youthful enthusiasm. As I complimented her, she said, “I’m retired but not tired; however, my teeth are shaky; they’re giving me a tough time chewing.”
I undertook the basic clinical and radiographic investigations to evaluate her dental status. Extensive bone loss around her teeth showed that salvaging the naturals wasn’t possible; hence I suggested full-mouth extractions to prevent further bone loss, followed by a fixed implant-supported prosthesis in both jaws.
Agreeing with the treatment plan, she demurely asked if I could eliminate that prognathic appearance she had all her life. I could read between the lines; she still longed for a beautiful smile. “Of course!” I assured her, as I recollected my mentor’s advice: You must read and meet the mind of the patient before meeting his/her mouth.
She expressed her fear of implant placement and being alone at home as she had lost her husband and her son was in the US. I reassured her of the virtually painless nature of dental treatments today, and under local anaesthesia, carried out all her extractions and implant placements in one visit. Much to her surprise and by following the instructions religiously, she came out of the post-surgical phase uneventfully.
After the three-month healing period, while the implants got integrated with the jawbone, I took her impressions and completed the trials to assess the prosthesis for its fit, function and aesthetics of her front teeth.
After satisfying myself on all parameters, I screwed the final prosthesis onto her implants in the next visit. As I finished doing so, I was surprised by the sheer beauty of her transformed face. The new set of teeth looked so graceful that I immediately asked my assistant to give her a mirror. My staff and I could gauge the feeling of pride and satisfaction that dawned on her when she saw her face. The first thing she uttered beamingly was, “I wish I had done this earlier. But still, it’s never too late to have a photogenic smile.”
On her next recall visit, she entered the consultation with a package in her hands. She handed it to me, saying, “Thanks for giving me such a pretty look; everyone, my son, daughter-in-law and acquaintances whom I video called couldn’t believe their eyes.” Not to offend her, I gratefully accepted the token of love, telling her I just gave what rightfully belonged to her all this time.
THE NEW SET OF TEETH LOOKED SO GRACEFUL THAT I IMMEDIATELY ASKED MY ASSISTANT TO GIVE HER A MIRROR