Our dentist, Dr. Tom Sentz, noticed that our bus driver Christian Roque was missing a tooth. Tom made him a false tooth (called a “flipper”) to fill in that spot!
Tom has been coming on trips with Austin Smiles, annually or more often, since the mid-90s, so he has seen and done a lot. He consults with patients about any dental issues or questions they may have, which is very common with cleft lips and palates.
He makes obturators for patients with fistulas (see an earlier post – “What the heck is an obturator?”). He pulls teeth, which are frequently improperly growing on cleft lip and palate patients. He doesn’t like to sit around, so he also helps wash surgical instruments in his spare time!
We are grateful to have the loyal and longstanding support, and good company, of Dr. Sentz.
