We have decided to start writing a blog for Smiles of Ryde, a place where we can share updates and changes at the surgery and also some helpful information. Mostly though because we enjoy what we do and our kids are sick of hearing about it.
When people think dentist, it often comes with fear and anxiety, not so for us. Probably because we are the dentists, but more so because we get to see how peoples lives can be changed and the joy it can bring. I love my job and I love when my patients are happy and leave with a smile. That’s why we called it “Smiles of Ryde.
My favourite part about dentistry is giving people back their smiles. Too often I meet patients who have been living with an old denture, worn down and patched up for years on end. Loose and uncomfortable denture are not normal and definitely not something you should just put up with.
I’ve had a lovely woman in over the past few weeks, for the sake of anonymity and because she would get a wild kick out of having a fake name, let’s call her Lizzy. Lizzy has had the same lower denture for over 20 years, it has been patched and adjusted more times than she can remember. Her upper teeth are all loose and she no longer smiles.
Lizzy wants to smile!!
She wants her grandkids to stop giggling at her wobbly teeth and she wants to stop worrying that she has bad breath. Lizzy feels like she can’t go out in public, Lizzy’s teeth are having a dramatically negative impact on her life and she is now depressed.
We discussed her options and the need for a long term solution rather than a band-aid solution.
Lizzy considered Implants and a full mouth bridge or complete dentures. Lizzy would rather have the bridges and implants, but it is not a financial option at this time. She wants an immediate solution and plans to transition to Implants and full mouth bridges in the future.
Lizzy is looking forward to her dentures.
We went ahead and took detailed photographs, measurements and records of her teeth, mouth, jaw and face. It is very important to match the correct tooth shape and size to a patient, otherwise, it will always look just a bit wrong. Even though Lizzy is a slight small woman, she has very large teeth and they look lovely and natural on her. We know this because she still had the upper wobbly teeth. If we don’t have these then the next step would be to obtain some photographs from when she was younger and also take measurements of her nose. Hard to imagine it but God created us in proportion, so with a bit of maths, we can calculate the perfect set of teeth.
We were able to obtain beautifully matching denture teeth for Lizzy in the exact shade of white that she desired. Sometimes we think the whiter the better, but often when it comes to a smile nothing looks faker than Hollywood White or as I like to call it “Kelvinator White” (children of the ’80s will appreciate this reference).
The big day came, I’ll spare you the pointy details, the wobbly teeth came out, the 20-year-old denture took a flying leap into the bin. A few stitches and a gauze swab latter, Lizzy had a brand new set of choppers. Though she was numb from ear to ear, she couldn’t stop smiling. “They look so real” was her first reaction.
So as I said at the beginning of my post, my favourite part about dentistry is giving people back their smiles. Lizzy walked out with a smile and then straight back a week later for her review with an even bigger one. Lizzy feels like she can go out in public, Lizzy’s teeth are having a dramatically positive impact on her life and she is now excited to take on the world.
I love her joy and I love that I could be a part of making it happen for her, we did it together. Lizzy put her trust in me and I helped her dream become a reality.
Smile because it’s infectious.
Dr Josie