By Jane Keller Gordon, Contributing Writer
Business name: Modern Dentistry of Shrewsbury
Address: 307 Grafton St. #203, Shrewsbury
Contact information: 508-842-8838
Shrewsbury – Dr. Mehdi Karimipour (known as Dr. Mehdi) and his wife, Dr. YiChen (Jenn) Wei, owners of Modern Dentistry of Shrewsbury, are celebrating two major milestones: the upcoming birth of their second daughter, and the first anniversary of acquiring the practice.
They are proud to offer a wide range of dental specialists under one roof, for children and adults where patients can receive routine-to-complex care.
Dr. Mehdi said, “We encourage good oral hygiene, and routinely treat small cavities before they cause pain.”
Modern Dentistry of Shrewsbury is pleased to utilize new technologies in both the determination complex diagnoses, and development of pre-treatment plans.
In the near future, Drs. Mehdi and Wei plan to use a CBCT (cone bean computed tomography), which is a three-dimensional imaging system. Compared to conventional digital X-ray technology, CBCT is useful in detecting early diseases in the jaw. In addition, CBCT often improves pre-planning for implants by determining if there is sufficient bone.
Dr. Mehdi said, “We are looking forward to offering CBCT to our patients. It really does help improve care and provides more predictable results. Due to the lack of training and the high cost, not many dentists have access to this type of technology.”
Convenience
The advantage of this multi-specialty practice is evident every day, in more efficient care and immediate consultations.
Typically, a patient who requires a root canal would be referred to an endodontist’s office for the root canal and placement of a temporary filling, and a general dentist’s office for the permanent filling.
At Modern Dentistry, during one appointment, Dr. Wei, an endodontist, performs both the root canal and permanent filling. She said, “Immediate placement of a permanent filling prevents bacterial contamination and the possibility of re-doing a root canal.”
Often, Dr. Mehdi will then complete a crown in order to restore form and function for the tooth again.
Prevention
To prevent injury or harm to the oral cavity and teeth, Drs. Mehdi and Wei encourage their patients to wear a mouth guard during sports activity.
Dr. Wei commented, “According to the National Athletic Trainers Association, athletes who don’t wear mouth guards are 1.6 -1.9 times more likely to sustain an oral or dental injury and treatment of these injuries can lead up to $15,000 over an individual’s lifetime.”
She noted that some patients recognize the importance of mouth guards only after an incident happens.
Drs. Mehdi and Wei discussed an example of Patient A, a 12-year-old boy, who injured a tooth when he was accidentally hit in the mouth by a baseball when playing with his father. He lost his right lateral incisor (next to his front tooth), which was already compromised by its unusually small size.
Dr. Mehdi was able to provide a “Bonded Bridge, Metal free” to connect a “fake tooth” to Patient A’s adjacent teeth. This was the most conservative approach available for a fixed prosthesis since the patient was too young for an implant.
Patient A and his parents also decided to bond the other lateral incisor for a better cosmetic match. The boy was able to regain his confidence, and return to playing sports, but this time wearing a mouth guard to prevent future injuries.
Cosmetic improvement
Drs. Mehdi and Wei also described the case of Patient B, a 55-year-old father of two children, who benefited from their expertise.
After years of grinding his teeth, and living with worn, old dental work, Patient B was ready to improve his smile. He had visited other dentists for consultations, but never found a comfortable fit.
That changed when Patient B met Dr. Mehdi, who took molds of his teeth, and created a diagnostic wax-up so that Patient B could visualize the restorative work.
Dr. Mehdi’s reconstructed Patient B’s upper and lower teeth, restored the proper height, and re-opened his bite, which had been compromised by grinding.
Patient B was ecstatic about his new look. He wears a night guard daily to prevent any further grinding of his teeth.
For more information about Modern Dentistry of Shrewsbury, or to schedule an appointment, visit www.shrewsburydentist.com or call 508-842-8838.