Incredible Patient, Incredible Smile...

By Dr. Farokh Jiveh

Palm Beach dental implants In your lifetime, you encounter certain people who make a difference and impress you with their courage and attitude. No matter how difficult the day is, they always stay positive and motivate you through their attitude. Their courage and bravery is an inspiration and their enthusiasm is contagious. Danielle is one of those people.

It was March 1, 2004, and I was attending a continuing education class at Palm Beach Community College when I received a call from the Wellington Regional Center emergency room. They informed me of a patient with emergency dental needs due to an accident at her school. I rushed over to the office and met with a young girl and her coach. I was informed a softball caused the trauma, and after my initial assessment, quickly realized it wasn't so "soft" after all. She had an ice pack and towel around her mouth. One thing I never forgot was how calm she was. I had seen a number of similar situations during my residency and training at the University of California. On call two weekends every month for the entire country of San Francisco, I had never seen a patient as cool and collected as Danielle.

On examining Danielle, I found the trauma and force amazingly had been localized to three upper front teeth. However, the impact was so strong that it had shattered them at the center, beyond repair. Her composure was vital in allowing me to stabilize the area quickly.

The next time I saw her, the oral surgeon had removed the roots, and her dentist had made her a beautiful, nicely fitting partial. I was able to find out more about what she and her mother would like for the final result. We also spoke at length to her oral surgeon regarding her age and dental implants. After a long consultation, we decided to use dental implants. They would be surgically placed under her gums, and we would keep the removable partial during the months the implants settled and integrated into the area. Although a bridge was another option, in the absence of implants, the bone around those teeth would recede over the years. Furthermore, implants would allow the adjacent teeth to not be touched. This was a challenging task due to her age.

Conventional bridges or dentures are not your only option when replacing missing teeth. For some people, dental implants offer a smile that looks and feels very natural. Surgically placed below the gums over a few appointments, implants fuse to the bone and serve as a base for bridges or a denture or, as in Danielle's case, individual replacement teeth. Implant teeth feel more natural, and some people also find the secure fir more comfortable than conventional substitutes. Candidates for dental implants need to have healthy gums and adequate bone to support the implant, and in this case the patient qualified. By Danielle's next visit, the surgeon had already placed her implants, and the removable partial was covering the area. Our goal was to make the teeth as natural-looking as possible. The biggest challenge for any cosmetic dentist is to make the implants and gums look natural, especially in the aesthetic zone (the upper front teeth) where Danielle had experienced the trauma. It took many visits to nurture, artistically contour and shape the gums into the desired form before the final restoration.

Another challenge: the prom was fast approaching, and I was not about to have her attend with a removable partial. The implants under the gum were healed, and we decided to make her temporary crowns. After two more visits, we placed the temporary crowns on the implants, and she was able to do away with the partial. Danielle was so excited. I could see it in her eyes and attitude. But again, she was optimistic and smiling from the start. A patient like her is what makes my day. I recall at every meeting with my staff how we always spoke about her positive attitude. During the arduous and long road to recovery, we never heard any complaints from her.

Finally, the time came to replace the temporary crowns with the permanent porcelain crowns. Making teeth look lifelike and natural is the difference between a good dental laboratory and a great one. Danielle's mother, the dental implant company representative and my assistance Yolanda were in the room. We put the crowns in place, and everyone's mood changed instantly to amazement! It was an extremely emotional day. My staff and I are so used to patients getting ecstatic and emotional when a smile is restored, but somehow that day was extra special. After more than a year, Danielle finally had her natural smile back - wow, did she ever! The new teeth could not have looked any more natural.

It was Danielle's courage, positive attitude and enthusiasm that made this journey so smooth and the result so special. I learned that when things are not going my way, the best way to face them is with a good attitude...and of course, a smile!

For more information, contact Smiles By Jiveh at (561) 798-9997 of visit www.smilesbyjiveh.com

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