A Smile Rehabilitation Story

I had the pleasure of helping a lady out by changing her smile. When she first came to see me, she was nervous. She had a horrific experience, deciding at that moment she was not going back. She hadn’t seen a dentist in over 10 years and now is scared to death that she will lose all her teeth. She is not the only patient that I have seen that is fearful of the dentist, but I believe she was one of my most fearful patients.

After the initial exam, I knew we were in for a long haul, but knew we could help her get the smile she hoped for if she was willing to stick with it. We spent about a half hour going over the treatment plan, which included multiple root canals, an extraction, fillings and crowns. It was going to be a lot of work and the big question was, “would she show up to get the treatment done?” As we were talking, she asked me a question: “How do you eat an elephant?” I did not have a ready response for that so she gave me the answer: “One bite at a time!” And that is how we were going to tackle her treatment plan: one bite at a time.

Now the true test, I must do what I said I could do. Furthermore, I must be as gentle as I can because I know that if she has an experience that is less than gentle that she will leave, never come back and probably never see another dentist again. No pressure. First up, I decided to get her back for a cleaning. I figured this will give us a chance to start with an easy step to help build trust. Furthermore, I know that once a person starts to solve part of a big problem with one small piece that she will want to do more and more until it is all done. Next up: A tooth that was broken and uncomfortably sharp for her cheek and tongue. Now, she is still extremely nervous about coming to the dentist but she kept her appointments and we continue to take a bite of this “elephant”.

Ideally, I like to blend the tooth color when doing a smile restoration, but in this case, the patient and I agreed that we would complete the necessary dental work and then put the finishing touch of a pretty white smile. And that is exactly what we did. One step, then two steps, then three, and now the back teeth were repaired and she was no longer nervous, and almost excited! I did say ‘almost’, as I have not yet met a person that gets excited exactly about their dental work. Yes, some people enjoy having their teeth cleaned, but that is usually about it on excitement.

Finally, we started on the front teeth, the smile. I prepared the teeth and gave her temporary crowns, and even though temporary, she was so HAPPY. We then completed the multiple root canal treatments, all fillings and are now working on the front crowns to complete the treatment program. She was so ecstatic, and I was excited to finish her care. Perhaps just a bit sad, though, because we’d become great friends and now I will not need to see her quite as often. She only needs to see us twice a year for her routine cleanings. The pleasure I receive from my job when I can help a patient reach their goals is what gets me out of bed in the morning.

Best,
Ronald A. Murphy, DMD