DENTAL CARE

Q: All I Did Was Bite Into A: a Hot Dog My phone rang on Monday night, and the caller ID told me who was on the call before I even picked up the call. My old friend, Jeff, called me and had a problem. Jeff and I go back about 40 years, and we became very close. Besides the friendship, I used his business skills, and he used mine. About 20 years ago, I did some significant cosmetic work on his front teeth. Veneers and crowns gave him a winning smile which he always appreciated.

The call on Monday night came out of desperation and a feeling of helplessness. After biting down on a delicious hot dog, he fractured his front tooth to the gum. The fracture alone is a cause for alarm but coupled with an upcoming

weekend wedding accentuated the mental trauma. Fortunately for him, he was in no other

discomfort. When a tooth fractures the gum, many patients think they will experience severe pain. While this may be true in a young individual, adults often do not share that feeling with a younger patient.

The burning question is how do we deal with the immediate cosmetic problem and what do we do for the long term. Even though my schedule was jam-packed, I always try to make time to see someone in dire need or severe pain. I told him to come in the next day, and we would get him started on his journey for a new tooth.

The short-term fix involved my lab and getting them onboard. So often, lab time involves travel and transit. We bypassed that issue by

hand-delivering impressions to the lab. In a day, we had a removable

tooth to replace and cover the broken one, and we solved the immediate cosmetic issue.

With a little breathing room, we could think clearly about the removal and replacement of the

tooth fragment still in his gums. This was not the first time he caught the short end of a hot dog. The other front tooth suffered the same fate about a decade ago.

When that happened, he opted to do an immediate implant rather than a bridge. A bridge is good, but in his case, when he made his choice ten years ago, that

procedure would have required shaping two teeth.

Fast forward to today, and a bridge would only involve shaping one natural tooth. The bridge’s

other end would have to attach to the older implant. When I am forced to adopt this procedure, I do, but a single implant would still be less invasive than a bridge. A permanent bridge that attaches at one side to a natural tooth and the other side anchors to an implant is a technique that works well in my hands, but it is not the first choice. He wanted the least invasive

procedure and chose to replace the broken front tooth with a single implant and not involve any other tooth. I felt that he made a good and intelligent choice.

When cosmetic accidents happen in the mouth, our first reaction is to panic and stop thinking.

Seeking a competent professional is often the best thing we can do to calm our nerves. I hope that none of you ever break a tooth, but if you do, rest assured that if you call me, I will do my best to

organize the treatment for you and create a clear plan to solve your problem. If you have this concern or any others, please call Nikki at 440.951.7856 for an evaluation, as I look forward to meeting you.

Jeffrey Gross, DDS, FAGD, is an Ohio licensed general dentist and is a staff member at Case School of Dental Medicine in the Department

of Comprehensive Care.

The Healthy Smile

34586 Lakeshore Boulevard (¼ mile west of Route 91 on Lakeshore Blvd) Eastlake, Ohio 44095 440-951-7856 Severance Medical Arts, Suite 603 5 Severance Center Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 216-371-2333 www.jeffreygrossdds.com