Ben and Gary Show - Episode 67

 A Week In The Life Of Smiles International

We video the Ben and Gary Show on Fridays after the last patient is seen. In today's episode, Dan talks about a satisfying case. Ben talks about a case that he had to sweat.

Dan's case

Dan delivered a new crown to a patient who had diagonally sheared off a part of a front tooth. The patient's tooth broke the prior week after eating a walnut.

This patient had fractures on many teeth in his mouth. It was not the walnut. It was the last straw in the slow progression of fractures on this tooth. 

As there was not enough tooth structure to support a veneer, a crown was the best restoration option. Dan used the broken piece to measure the size of the new crown and took photographs. Then he prepped the tooth for the new crown.

He also fitted him for a mouthguard to prevent the nighttime grinding causing multiple tooth fractures.

Our lab - the secret sauce

Matching a single crown to a natural tooth is one of the most challenging restorations in dentistry. Smiles International maintains its own lab to fabricate perfect restorations. Their lab gives the patient a beautiful cosmetic result and shortens completion time.

Always better to get it right the first time, making sure the patient is happy. 

Ben's case

Ben saw a patient with a ten-year-old dental implant crown that has loosened. Usually, an implant crown is attached to the implant abutment with a screw.

On this patient, the crown was permanently cemented to the abutment, allowing for micro-movements of the crown that caused loosening. To save the crown and make the repair, Ben needed to find the screw.

He was met with some disturbing discoveries. The abutment was not the part supplied by the implant manufacturer. It was a knockoff. The screw was also a knockoff of the manufacturer's screw.

Using the manufacturer's abutment and screw ensures a perfect fit and function of the implant. Fortunately, Ben was able to replace these parts with the manufacturer's parts as he had them on hand.

He was able to save the implant crown and make the repair in a single visit. The patient was thrilled. Ben took a deep sigh of relief.

And there you have it. Highlights of a week at Smiles International.