Thomas D Faber, DDS, MSD & Terry M Thomas, DDS

Had my first procedure… stitches out tomorrow.
I decided to wear my silk sleeping blinders and also ear buds w/​music during the procedure in order to drown out as much sensory stimulus from the procedure as I could. I highly recommend this technique (and no one laughed at my blinders to my knowledge but hey, it’s ok if they did).
Thank freaking Bob for Halcion or I may not have ever walked into the office. The procedure felt pretty long… almost two hours… and I was very aware of what was going on… but I really felt no anxiety or pain. I was tired at the end and was so glad to feel that coil of suture material fall on my cheek knowing we were almost done, but I’ll fully admit the anticipation in the weeks leading up was way worse than the actual thing.
Yes, the drugs punk you out so you can pretty much write off your weekend, but I really felt very little discomfort despite the cat’s cradle of stitches in my mouth. And it’s an excuse for all the ice cream you want.
If you’ve got stuff you want fixed, this is THE place.

Tooth grafting is not for wussies, but as we get older and gums begin to recede, sometimes it’s the only way to save the tooth.
I have had this terrible, painful oral surgery done twice, so I have some basis for comparison. The first fellow (I won’t list his name here out of kindness) was entirely obnoxious, but he did give me a free estimate. Therefore, I went to get an estimate from Dr. Faber, assuming (always ask!) that his estimate would be free, also. Whoops! My mistake. It was about $ 150.00! That’s where the fifth star went. All else is five. Estimates should be free. The patient should be able to find the best periodontist for the job without laying out big bucks just to be evaluated. If they are going to charge, that should be made clear, even if the patient has not asked.
Here’s what I liked, and it’s a lot: Dr. Faber did not give me a big song and dance about why we should double or triple the number of teeth treated. The last guy recommended an enormous amount of additional work, far beyond what my dentist had said, but she had also said to «trust his advice». (She knows better now, and so do I). Dr. Faber, in contrast, suggested just doing the two teeth that my dentist had suggested. He saw a third he thought should perhaps be done later. He ended up with a little extra patching material, and used it to partially reinforce a third tooth; tomorrow, when I go back to get my stitches out, I will ask if it was that tooth.
The usual method for dental grafting is like this: skin is (watch out, squeamish folks) peeled from the roof of your mouth. Think about what that feels like afterward. Think about the DIFFERENCE between grafting two or three, and grafting six teeth.
Dr. Faber DOES NOT flay the roof of your mouth! He makes a little incision, goes in, takes skin from inside (I didn’t know they could do that!) and then sews it back up. The difference is that this time, I did NOT have sleep sitting up; did NOT have to pack my poor mouth with gauze and nasty damp tea bags.
If you need some grafting or other periodontal work done and have a dental plan through work, don’t wait till you are laid off or retired! Get it done while you are covered.
One last word for the disabled: If, like me, you can’t take stairs, don’t pull up to this address and burst into tears. Turn right at the next corner; turn right again, and there you are… an entrance to the second floor, where this fellow practices, without stairs! YES!

Dr Thomas, is the best, bar none, if you need a Swedish (tooth) implant. My surgery was a little tricky — my tooth a little weird. He made the 3-​stage process almost pleasant, and 6 years later, I have never had any trouble. He is the best of the best!