Yesterday, I met an amazing 80-year old gentleman who was unable to eat because his dentures were too loose and hurt him terribly. He was very distressed because another dental office was unable to fix his dentures and advised him to get implants.
Implants are a wonderful solution for a lot of people because they act like natural teeth. I enjoy doing implants because of their great quality for patients. However, they may not be the right answer if you have a complicated medical history with delayed healing risks.
I regard my patients like my family. Would my wife like how this crown looks? Would my father feel comfortable eating his crunchy chips? Is this procedure safe for my mother? I look at every individual to determine what is best for them.
This elderly gentleman was full of energy and life. But his medical history was also very complex. If he were my grandfather, I would be wary of the risks of implants in his particular case. That is not the best solution for him.
I had a wonderful conversation with him. I looked at his old dentures carefully. I made some adjustments. He left my office with great fitting dentures, excitedly looking forward to eating his favorite meal.
In English,Nguyen Nguyenis generally pronounced 'Win Win. In Vietnamese, it is more complex. The Vietnamese language has 6 intonations, resulting in words being spelled the same but having different pronunciations and meanings. A trained ear can hear the subtle differences. For example, the word 'ma', can be pronounced 6 different ways with 6 different meanings. Those two simple letters together can mean mother, horse, ghost, but, grave, and rice seed.As you can imagine, mixing up the intonations can get you in trouble, especially if you accidentally call your mother a horse.
My first and last names may be spelled the same, but with the intonations, they are different words with different meanings. My first name has a deeper inflection, and means 'a wish'. My last name has a more wave like, musical tone. It comes from centuries of kings and wars. Those feuding lords make an episode of Game of Thrones seem tame. During the ancient times, people changed their last names to Nguyen to either avoid prosecution or to gain power. This caused the name to multiply, resulting in an estimated 40% of Vietnamese people sharing this name today.
Almost 30 years ago, I came to the United States as an orphaned child. My parents sent my brother and me on a sardine like boat to escape war-torn Viet Nam. We lived with 6 other rowdy orphans in a small sponsor family home. They wanted to make our names easier to pronounce. So they thought long and hard about what best to brand us. My brother was called 'Tom'. I was called 'Jerry'. 'Tom and Jerry'. If 'Nguyen Nguyen'is weird, being named after a violent cartoon cat and mouse duo cannot be much better. Needless to say, I kept my uniquely memorable name instead.
My patients trust me. Because of my diverse background, I enjoy relating to people on a personal level and getting to know their family and history. My patients are confident that I only have their best interest in mind. They appreciate that I am their partner in great dental care. I am an educational resource, an advocate for not only my patients smile but also their overall health. I am a dental nerd. I keep ahead of all the dental technology, enjoying long hours of advanced dental education. I am proud of my surgery skills, and my patients are assured that they are in the best hands. They love that I strive to be mindful of their wishes and will protect them from experiencing unnecessary pain.