Mildred has been my patient for almost 20 years. When her husband passed, she “treated” herself to what he’d considered an impractical car – a red, Honda Accord. My staff and I actually went out to see it, the first time she drove it here. Fast forward two years, and Mildred was rear-ended in this car, at a high speed. Her mouth hit the steering wheel, damaging four top teeth in front. To this day, I’m not sure whether she was more upset about the teeth or the car!
When anyone damages teeth from an impact injury, like Mildred, there is often a risk that the nerves will die, over time. We monitor this in a couple of ways, including with X-rays. We perform minimal treatment to give the nerve a chance to recuperate. While waiting for the all-clear to proceed, Mildred considered her options. She could have caps to repair the existing teeth or, if they couldn’t be saved, implants, a removable partial denture, or a bridge (a series of caps attached together) spanning from canine to canine. I showed her examples of each.
On Halloween, I got a Christmas card from Mildred. She’d crossed the 5-month mark with no problems with her teeth. She stated that she didn’t want to look like a Jack-O-Lantern in a nursing home – EVER. All she wanted for the approaching Christmas was “my four front teeth”! That Christmas, she drove to her dental hygiene appointment in her repaired and decorated Accord, posed in front of it with her Santa hat, and we took a picture of her beautiful new smile. How’s that for a wish come true?
Contact Winterset Dental today to find out which treatment is right for you.