New smile imparts confidence
Hailey woman continues path of restoration following abuse
view entire series
By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer
Dr. Jeffery Roth and his assistant, Amanda Romero, work on Jennifer Colver in Roth?s Ketchum office. Express photo by Dana DuGan
|
|
Reconstruction of a Life
Second in a series of three
?Gums are the frame for the teeth, the lips are the frame for the mouth and it all ties into the nose,? Dr. Jeffrey Roth explained as he worked to repair Jennifer Colver?s teeth.
?Jen has had eight to 10 visits just getting control of things. The Advocates are a pretty amazingly active group,? the Ketchum dentist said about his nearly instant participation in Colver?s acceptance into the Give Back a Smile program.
In October, as a part of Face to Face: The National Domestic Violence Project, Colver went under a surgeon?s knife in a journey in rediscovery and reconstruction. Her septorhinoplasty was done pro bono by Dr. Bret Rodgers, a Boise surgeon who is a member of the medical unit of Face to Face. Likewise, Roth is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentists that promotes a paired program called Give Back a Smile. Roth moved to Sun Valley almost a year ago from Olney, Ill, where he was also on a list of providers willing to work for Give Back A Smile.
Colver, 41, who has lived in Idaho her whole life, was in an allegedly abusive relationship with her first husband, a Ketchum resident. Colver is her married name from a second (and failed) marriage in Twin Falls.
The two medical programs she is participating in help victims of domestic abuse through the country by setting them up with physicians and dentists in their area. The board-certified medical and dental personnel donate their time and expertise to repair both physical and psychological scars so those women can regain their self-esteem and rebuild their lives.
Since 1999 nearly 900 AACD dentists, lab technicians, and other dental professionals have volunteered their time and expertise pro bono for the Give Back A Smile program. There are currently 177 applicants being treated throughout the United States.
As Colver?s nose continues to heal from surgery, Roth began the next phase of her teeth repair Friday, Nov. 5.
?There were cavities and gum diseases,? he said, explaining the work he?d done previous to her surgery in Boise. ?You could say it was negligence, but there is a definite tie to the abuse. Broken teeth catch decay, and the mental state is, ?why bother?? It?s a downward cascade.?
Colver, who was in a reclining position with her mouth open in the dentist?s chair, nodded. When she could speak, she added, ?You just don?t care.?
Roth continued. ?The back teeth were all broken and had to be pulled, they weren?t reparable. Now she is infection and pain free. Infected gums look differently. You can?t work on teeth until the gums are healthy and are the right shape and size.?
For the upper teeth, Roth made an impression to send to a lab for sculpting the porcelain veneers, which, once in place, don?t come off, he said. From her position, Colver heard this and clapped, her eyes wary but twinkling.
Roth then shaped Colver?s lower teeth, as he and Certified Dental Assistant Amanda Romero added bonding to make them longer. All her front teeth had been ground down over the years by chewing only with her front, since so many back teeth had fallen out or had been pulled. Otherwise, ?The bottom teeth are in pretty good shape,? Roth said. ?They tend to be protected more from blows.?
Some of the new teeth for the top of her mouth will have a metal layer under the porcelain veneer, since there was no tooth to save, Roth said. Partials are being made for both the back upper and lower to fill where teeth were pulled and or missing.
It?s been nearly 20 years since Colver had a full mouth of teeth. ?I started getting them pulled around 20. I got slammed pretty hard on one side and then some got chipped, and then got them pulled. Through the years they just kept getting worse.?
Roth then ground the upper front teeth down to the dentin into little corn kernel looking teeth, which he called ?Ferengi teeth,? after an alien species on the Star trek series. By now, Colver?s wary look was turning to fear.
The dentin is the calcareous bony mass of the tooth, covered by enamel and surrounding the root canals and pulp chamber.
The temps, made from a composite of resin and glass beads, were bonded on and Colver was finally able to see what she would look like once the permanent veneers came in three weeks hence. Though her face was red and stretched out from the work over the past three hours, Colver looked in the mirror, shocked at her new teeth. And then she cried, and hugged Roth.
?It?s going to make me feel beautiful again and worthwhile. I?m totally numb,? she said. ?I love it.?
?Now, you can?t floss,? Roth warned her. The crowd watching laughed: It was something no one ever hears coming out of a dentist?s mouth.
?We can find little glitches with the temps that will help us with the final restoration,? Roth noted, while checking out his handiwork.
A crew from KTVB, including on-air reporter Robbie Johnson, came up from Boise to film at Roth and Dr. Cunningham?s offices in Ketchum, while Colver went through the second big part of her transformation. KTVB plans on airing a segment on Colver?s entire process with Give Back a Smile and Face to Face.
?I want others to see what can happen with good people on your side? Colver said. ?I?m going to be advocating like crazy when this all done.?
