One of my favorite parts of working in our dental office is seeing a patient’s face light up when they see their new smile. One of my favorite cases was on a patient we will call “Sarah”. Sarah was in an ATV accident when she was a teenager and lost her front two teeth. Her dentist at the time placed two implants and gave her a flipper while the implants healed. When it came time to restore them, Sarah was informed that they were placed in a spot that was unrestorable, and that she would just have to stay in the flipper, forever.
How Dr. Curtis Helped a Patient Restore Her Smile
Fast forward 18 years from that moment to when she was in our chair for the first time. She had come in for a routine cleaning. Dr Curtis noticed the unusual placement of the implants and asked Sarah if she had ever planned on restoring them. She broke down in tears and told us that she has been living in her flipper for 18 years, as the implants were not placed in an area that would allow crowns to be placed on them. Dr Curtis helped her formulate a plan of action.
He referred her to an oral surgeon to get the implants removed and new ones placed, but they told us that due to the type and placement of the implants removing them would damage too much bone and it was not a good option, so we were back to square one.
Dr Curtis was determined to make this work, so we decided to present a plan to Sarah where we would do some outside-the-box dental work. We made a plan to bypass the implants entirely and create a permanent bridge that would hide the misplaced implants. Sarah was elated with this idea.
When we initially seated the final bridge, the top portion of the implants were still visible above the bridge. After several creative attempts to adapt and hide the implants, they were covered perfectly!
For the first time in 18 years, Sarah looked in a mirror and smiled at herself through her tears. We all cried and hugged. I had no idea when I started at Copper Creek Dental how emotionally involved I would become in my patients’ lives.
Cosmetic Dentist in South Jordan, Utah
We’re passionate about helping our patients feel more confident in their smiles. If you have any cosmetic or health concerns about your teeth, please don’t hesitate to contact Copper Creek Dental. From major mouth trauma to minor discoloration, we can treat a wide variety of dental issues. Dr. Curtis and our team will work with you to formulate a treatment plan that effectively restores your smile. Call 801-280-1911 today to schedule a consultation at our Daybreak office.
About the Author
This story was shared by our treatment coordinator, Aurora. She loves learning all that she can about dentistry and helping people like Sarah. When Aurora isn’t in the office, you can find her coaching her volleyball team or spending time outdoors anytime and anywhere that she can!