Patient Perspective: How DENTSPLY Caulk's TPH Spectra™ saved one woman's tooth

The snowy morning before Thanksgiving, Mary Cook was mentally preparing for the next day. Cooking was the main concern, along with getting the complete grocery list and thinking about who all was attending the holiday gathering.

These were the things rushing through her head as she began to brush her teeth that morning.

“A thorough brushing is what my Mom had taught me. She did have gorgeous teeth and a great smile, so it seemed well worth it to me to emulate her good habits,” Mary said.

While methodically brushing her teeth, Mary heard something clang into the sink. She quickly pulled up the stopper so that nothing would go down the drain.

“I carefully looked around and picked up whatever this something was. I cleaned it off and began to examine it carefully,” she said. “It looked like part of a tooth! Oh no, I thought. Not today!”

After checking her mouth closely a couple of times, Mary realized there was a large hole in one tooth. Could there be a worse time for this, she thought? She worried that dentists might not be working on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

“I got my phone and nervously dialed my dentist, Dr. Tim Bizga,” said Mary. “To my amazement, he answered by saying, ‘Come on in and I’ll fix it.’ ”

At an earlier time, Dr. Bizga had fixed her bite in order to correct a TMJ issue (a painful jaw condition). He had also ingeniously repaired a tooth that another dentist had wanted to pull out.

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“On top of that, he is truly a painless dentist – I barely feel it when he gives me the shot that temporarily numbs part of my mouth,” said Mary, who has referred family and friends to her dentist. “Above all, I thought as I was driving, he is incredibly personable and genuinely cares about each and every patient.”

Mary arrived a few minutes late due to the snowy road conditions, yet the visit turned out quite well.

“He told me that earlier in the week he had asked his assistant to work a half a day on the day before Thanksgiving because he knew there would be patients who would have emergency dental issues,” she recalled. “It turns out that I was the third patient he had helped that morning because of our unforeseen dental problems.”

Upon examination, he noted Mary had lost a lot of her tooth as the old filling was a large one. Mary wondered if she’d lose the tooth or maybe need a crown.

TPH Spectra

Dr. Bizga paused, and then said, “No, you won’t. I think I can fix it with a new product I have been using.”

In the past, Mary was suspicious of new products in dentistry, but she trusts Dr. Bizga, noting that his use of new technology always benefits his patients, and that he is thorough in his research.

“When it came time for the tooth to be filled, it felt unlike other filling material that had been used in the past to fill my teeth,” she said. “Dr. Tim inserted the product. I sat in the chair while the filling set. Soon, he was back to check the progress of the filling. There was no scraping of the filling surface as there usually is when bits of the filling material fall into your mouth. And it didn’t take Dr. Tim long to adjust my bite.

“As I was answering his questions about how the tooth felt, I was amazed at the filling and told him that. Then I apprehensively asked him when I was going to have to come back ‘for the real filling.’

“You’re done,” he said as he smiled. “I rebuilt your tooth and that filling will last you a long, long time.”

Mary’s dentist explained the product used was DENTSPLY Caulk’s TPH Spectra and that he was using it successfully on his patients.

“I left his office and marveled at his mastery of dentistry and his constant quest for knowledge that had led him to this new filling material,” she said. “I have a great appreciation for him and his work in dentistry. I am very grateful that he is the dentist for me and for my family.”

It’s been months since that dental visit and the TPH Spectra restoration has stayed perfectly and comfortably in the tooth. Now Mary is looking at other treatments.

“I am choosing to replace old silver fillings with this new product,” she said. “There couldn’t be a happier ending to a dental story-perfect doctor and perfect product.”