Why Did I Wait So Long?

Wow, went to a Memorial Day barbecue and ate corn on the cob for the first time in years. It's incredible to be regain confidence in my ability to eat like a normal person, and never have to give it a second thought.

In my early 60s, for nearly a decade I've taken medication for a blood disorder that wreaked havoc with my never-that-great teeth. It got to the point where I had little by way of back teeth to chew, and my smile was an unsightly embarassment.

Due to business commitments, traveling to distant states or countries wasn't an option for me. I'm wary of places that advertise constantly and seem to churn patients via the hard sell, so I decided to "reverse engineer" my way to a provider I could trust.

To do this, I sought out the best reviewed dental labs in the Chicago area, then posed the question to owners of several of them as to what dentist they would recommend for a family member in my area, the northwest Chicago suburbs. Dr. Kimberly LaTour of Mint Dentistry in Palatine got an unequivocal vote of confidence, so I went to see her for a consultation.

I found Dr. LaTour to be sympathetic but no BS, and she seemed to "get" my desire not to have glaringly white Chiclets for replacements. To my eye, when people go for teeth that are too perfect, they look fake, or what I've come to think of as "QVC teeth." I wanted mine to be natural looking, just an improved version of my own.

For the implants, Dr. LaTour partners with Jennifer Silc, DDS of Silc Periodontics in Schaumburg, IL to do the extractions and implants. I wasn't entirely convinced the team approach was the way to go, but they operate as a well-oiled machine.

I had both top and bottom arches done the same day, and I had the usual swelling and pain, but it was not unbearable. It was only later I learned that Dr. Silc had added a fifth implant at no charge on my lower arch where she thought it would benefit from the support. Drs. LaTour and Silc alternated my post-surgery care appointments, and I came to appreciate that they are both talented and dedicated to their professions. As it turned out, I benefited from their team approach.

Early in the day on Christmas Eve, about six weeks after my surgery, I somehow managed to break off half of a lower front tooth. I called Dr. LaTour’s office and left a message on her emergency number. She called me back promptly and explained she was in Arizona visiting family, but she would call Dr. Silc to see what she could do. I knew that Dr. Silc was moving to new offices over the holidays, so she had no place to work. Fortunately, Dr. Silc is married to a pediatric orthodontist who offered his facility to do the repair that afternoon! They arrived at his office with their two children in tow and I realized they had interrupted their family day just to take care of me. It was well above and beyond the call.

I’m sure there are cheaper alternatives, but I feel I benefited greatly from Dr. LaTour’s aesthetic sense and Dr. Silc’s surgical skills. I would recommend this combination to anyone in the Chicago area.