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Jordan Pysz / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Bart’s restored smile required extensive work that was interrupted by Hurricane Ian and his double-lung transplant and recovery. The patience of all involved paid off in a big way.
Before and After Courtesy Image Advanced Dentistry of Fort Myers
Among the roughly 5,000 residences destroyed by Hurricane Ian was the dream home that Bart Carter and his wife, Marsha, retired to seven years earlier. “We lost just about everything we had in that storm,” says Bart, whose tribulations did not end after the September 2022 hurricane. In March, Bart underwent a double-lung transplant. Five months later, while Bart, 68, was still recovering from surgery, Marsha had a knee replaced. “Now, I’m playing caregiver to her,” Bart says. “But I’m not complaining. We feel as if we’ve been blessed because we’re actually doing quite well. We bought another house in Estero in a nice subdivision far away from the storm surges, and we’re loving it. “And the community we’re in now has a lot of things we need, including a recreation center, which we’ll be taking advantage of once we get a little further along in our recovery. So, things are going well for us. It’s been a tough year, but we’re doing good. We have lots to smile about.” Bart smiles willingly and with great pride these days. That wasn’t always the case. For years, he was hesitant to smile because of the condition of his teeth, many of which deteriorated due to a lack of professional care. “I always took care of my teeth; I always brushed and flossed,” Bart says. “But I ended up with a couple of dentists that weren’t very pleasant to visit, and when something isn’t pleasant, well, you just don’t subject yourself to it. “That’s what happened with me. I’d go to the hygienist, and it was just an overall unpleasant experience, so I found reasons to put it off. I eventually changed dentists, but it was the same unpleasant atmosphere and routine. Thankfully, that’s all changed now.” The change came in 2019 after a friend recommended Advanced Dentistry of Fort Myers, the practice of Katrine A. Farag, DMD. Dr. Farag’s care for Bart began with a thorough examination during which she discovered a myriad of problems. “It had been many years since Bart had been to a dentist, and we soon realized that we would have to do some kind of work on every single tooth that he had left in his mouth,” Dr. Farag reports. “And that work was going to be rather extensive. “In addition to three teeth that were too far gone and had to be extracted, we found in all the other teeth cavities so deep that a simple filling would not take care of the problem. All of those teeth required crowns.”
Slowed by the Storm
Prior to beginning that work, Dr. Farag performed a complete debridement of Bart’s mouth to ensure that he was clear of infection and his gums were healthy enough to support the extensive restorations that were planned. The work began with a visit to an oral surgeon who removed the three teeth —two in the lower left arch and another in the upper right arch — that Dr. Farag had deemed unsalvageable. Then Hurricane Ian came ashore with a 13-foot storm surge that reached far inland, 24 miles up the Caloosahatchee River. In addition to sweeping away Bart and Marsha’s home, the floodwaters destroyed Dr. Farag’s office, forcing a closure that lasted four months. Following a thorough cleanup and renovation, Dr. Farag’s practice reopened in January. Bart was one of Dr. Farag’s first patients after the hurricane, and she picked up where she left off by beginning the next phase of Bart’s smile makeover, which called for the placement of more than 20 crowns. Dr. Farag got as far as placing temporary crowns when Bart learned of his eligibility for the double-lung transplant. With one very important exception, that notice of eligibility brought a temporary halt to Dr. Farag’s work. “Before they would even accept me into the (transplant) program and start testing, I had to have a clean bill of health in terms of my oral hygiene,” Bart explains. “So, Dr. Farag wrote that letter for me saying I was infection-free and decay-free.” The preparation for Bart’s transplant surgery took a couple of months, so he didn’t receive his new lungs until March. A three-month recovery period followed, so it wasn’t until July that Bart returned to receive his permanent crowns. “Most patients only wear temporary crowns for a couple of weeks at the most,” Dr. Farag explains. “But Bart wore his for four months, including through a double-lung transplant procedure, which is just amazing.” Amazing indeed, Bart says. “Those temporaries went through five days of testing and three months at the hospital and never broke or came loose,” he adds. “Even after all that, they were still in there when I finally went back to see Dr. Farag again, so that really was amazing.”
Jordan Pysz / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Despite their many struggles the past year, Bart and Marsha say they have plenty to smile about.
A Trusted Dentist
Even more amazing to Bart was the fact that Dr. Farag opened her office and completed his smile makeover on July 4. On that day, Dr. Farag placed the last few crowns and fit Bart with two partials that were designed to replace the extracted teeth. “I don’t know of too many doctors or dentists who would open their office for someone on the Fourth of July, but that’s what Dr. Farag did for me,” Bart raves. “I think that says a lot about who she is as a person and what kind of a dentist she is. “But it wasn’t just that. Before I had my lung transplant, I was on oxygen 24/7, so she did almost all her work on me through all the oxygen apparatus. I can tell you that I’m not sure I could have been as patient with someone as she was with me during that time.” The patience of all involved paid off in a big way. Bart now has what he refers to as “a million-dollar smile.” That’s something he hasn’t been able to boast of since he was in high school. “My smile hasn’t looked this good since I was 18 years old,” Bart enthuses. “It truly is unbelievable what Dr. Farag has done for me. I’m so happy with her that my wife goes to her as well now and we could not be happier. “It took me a long time, but I finally found a dentist that I can trust and believe in and feel comfortable with. And I’m comfortable walking into her office, too, because it doesn’t smell or feel like a dentist’s office. “She did a great job remodeling the place after the hurricane, but even before that you never had to sit there and wait to see her. And everyone there has always been so friendly and kind. It’s a friendship type of atmosphere there and everything is positive. “And as far as professionalism goes, all you have to do is look at my teeth to see how professional they are. They do great work, and I would absolutely recommend Dr. Farag and Advanced Dentistry of Fort Myers to anyone.”
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