How a Dental All-Star Team Changed a Woman’s Life

How a Dental All-Star Team Changed a Woman’s Life

When are you too old to believe in miracles? Never, if you’re Mildred.

After fighting a long battle against a bad overbite, Mildred – a 72-year-old Bethlehem resident – suddenly has something to beam about: a reconstructive dentistry team effort that has left her with a remarkable smile and full dental function for the first time in her life.

Mildred came to the Aesthetic Health Care Center with a bad overbite that had gotten progressively worse over the years. The misalignment made her lower teeth all but invisible; worse, she had difficulty chewing without biting into her gums. “I was at the point where I couldn’t eat,” said Mildred.

After living with the problem for years in Rochester, MN – best known as the home of the Mayo Clinic — Mildred revisited her options when she moved to Bethlehem six years ago with her husband, Harry, a retired IBM programmer. Their local dentist, Dr. Ray Haggerty, referred her to Dr. Thomas Balshi, of Pi Dental Center, who developed a treatment plan in conjunction with fellow Aesthetic Health Care Center practitioner Dr. Sally Gupton.

The plan combined an old-fashioned remedy and Space Age technology. After Gupton had used traditional orthodontia to straighten Mildred’s teeth, Balshi placed crowns where necessary, including the new Procera All-Ceramic Crowns where appearance was most essential. Made entirely of new, more durable porcelain, the Procera All-Ceramic Crowns offer patients long-lasting crowns without the telltale gumline signs that often accompany metal crowns.

“Dr. Balshi and Dr. Gupton deserve real credit for this,” said Mildred. “Dr. Gupton miraculously straightened my teeth, and Dr. Balshi gave me beutiful crowns that look like the teeth I had when I was a young woman.”

“Mildred’s case is an example of how a real esthetic dentistry team effort should work,” said Dr. Balshi. “By combining the input and expertise of her family dentist, a talented orthodontist and a prosthodontist, we were able to deliver an end result which has given her a new lease on life.”

No one knows that better than Mildred, who celebrated with a dinner of filet mignon – one of the treats she had not been able to enjoy for years — when the procedure was done.

“I’d recommend this to anyone,” she beams. “My mouth looks wonderful. The whole structure of my face is different. People who know me, my family and friends, notice the positive change right away. But what’s most important to me is the positive effect that the treatment has had on my life.”