The dental profession provides opportunities for us to significantly improve the lives of our patients. On occasion, we are presented with a unique opportunity to use our distinctive skills and experience to assist members of our local communities who find themselves in need and without adequate resources to receive treatment. I was presented with such an opportunity when a dear friend and longtime patient, Lila, contacted me about a popular musician who performs at a nearby downtown Detroit bar. Lila called me and asked for a favor.  Without even knowing what the favor would be, my immediate response was, “Sure, Lila, anything for you.”

She proceeded to tell me about Carl Brooks, a talented artist. She heard him sing and play guitar one evening — and he was amazing. But his teeth were the worst she’d ever seen. She believed he deserved a smile to complement his stunning personality and asked me to “somehow” fix his teeth. I told her to have Carl call me for an evaluation.

Initially, I didn’t know much about Carl, except that he was a driver for the Salvation Army during the week and an entertainer on the weekends. When he arrived at the office, his oral health was in bad shape, with no way to salvage any of his severely decayed and periodontally involved teeth. We discussed how his health was affected by the bacteria going into his bloodstream from the infected dentition. Carl knew he had major dental issues, but he just didn’t have the financial resources to take care of them. Like many patients who have neglected their teeth for a long while, he was embarrassed. He covered his mouth with his hand when he talked and avoided smiling, which is especially problematic for a professional singer. Also, he had an unpleasant experience with tooth extractions in the past, so he was apprehensive about dental procedures.

When we are presented with charitable cases, we do not expect public recognition. Nevertheless, when news anchor Alicia Smith wanted to broadcast a local story about our expanding city of Detroit — and my practice’s effort to improve the quality of Carl’s life — I immediately agreed. Alicia, who covers human interest features on our local TV station WXYZ Detroit, believed Carl’s story would be a natural fit for the station’s “Pay It Forward” news segment. Before treatment began, she arrived with a camera crew and interviewed Carl about his experiences and my intentions to help him. I perform this type of treatment every day, so I was quite excited to share this case with her audience.

I perform this type of treatment every day, so I was quite excited to share this case with her audience.

During my first meeting with Carl, he was deeply appreciative for anything that could be provided and never asked for anything specific. But because Carl was a professional singer, I wanted the results to provide the best function and esthetics possible. Because the dental lab plays an integral role in the restorative process, I approached the experienced team at Glidewell Laboratories, whom I’ve worked with for many years and hold in high regard. When I told them about this charitable undertaking, they were happy to help me design and restore the case. We decided to place as many implants as the bone would allow to support fixed full-arch implant bridges. The cementable full-arch BruxZir^® bridge over Inclusive^® Custom Implant Abutments is an excellent option for patients like Carl, providing a fixed, lifelike full-arch restoration that emerges from the soft tissue in the manner of traditional bridgework.

To begin treatment, I atraumatically removed the non-restorable teeth. I immediately placed Hahn™ Tapered Implants (Glidewell Direct; Irvine, Calif.), including nine in the maxilla and seven in the mandible, achieving excellent primary stability. The sockets were filled with regenerative material. Following integration of the implants, healing of the extraction sockets and VPS impressions, a full-arch try-in bridge was produced and seated over custom titanium abutments. After making minor adjustments, maxillary and mandibular BruxZir bridges were fabricated and delivered. I have tremendous confidence in the esthetics and wear characteristics of the BruxZir material. Because it’s monolithic zirconia, there’s no concern of ceramic fracture. I have been using this material since its inception and have been impressed with the results accomplished in full-arch reconstruction cases.