As Seen on TV
Inside Dental Technology delivers updates on digital workflows, materials, lab techniques, and innovation in dental technology through expert articles and videos.
May 1, 2011
Volume 2, Issue 5, May 2011
Page(s):
After a painful and traumatic root canal at the tender age of 10, Bonnie Greer refused to go back to the dentist for years. A slew of dental problems ensued, but the Riverhead, New York resident could not afford proper dental care. So she just stopped smiling. That is until a "miracle mouth makeover" on the Dr. Oz show gave her the smile she had always wanted.
Working with Gerry Curatola, DDS, Roberto Rossi, CDT, MDT, and his staff embarked on a full-mouth dental reconstruction. They had 48 hours to remove the old dental work, re-build a full maxilla, and re-construct the mandible.
Greer’s problems had accelerated at a very fast rate, Dr. Curatola noted. She already had decay, gum disease, missing teeth, and crowns falling out—not to mention the physical pain she experienced while eating and the emotional pain of not being able to smile. To restore her teeth, Dr. Curatola first removed all of the decay and then began re-building her teeth with adhesive etching gel and bonding material that he light-cured. After that, he took an impression and sent it to the dental laboratory for the ceramic work to be done.
While adhering to the core principles of dental anatomy and physiology, the Roberto Rossi Dental Studio embraces new trends in dental technologies to provide patients and dentists with the best restorative options available. Rossi’s team includes Lance Kim and Alessandra Rivera, MDT, as well as Oscar Flores, MDT, Bello Wu, and Eugene Vega, three alumni from the Dental Laboratory Technology program at New York City College of Technology. Their aim was to create a lifelike restoration that would provide the highest degree of esthetics, function, and comfort so that Greer could eat without difficulty and smile without shame.
The process involved a combination of feldspathic porcelain veneers, IPS e.max® lithium disilicate, Nobel Biocare Procera® implant bridges, and tcs® Flexible Partials. The laboratory utilized the latest innovations like the Nobel Biocare optical scanner and IPS e.max all-ceramic system. The end result was a smile that Greer could not stop flashing. "Now I can express my joy," she told viewers, as her voice cracked and her eyes filled with tears. "I feel like a brand-new person. I am a brand-new person."
To watch the two-part video of Bonnie Greer’s miracle mouth makeover click below:
Part 1 | Part 2
