Specialist Dental Group has launched an on-going series of blog posts by our individual dental specialists. All views provided are the dentist’s own opinions and are posted on this blog as part of our on-going efforts to educate the public about dental issues and other matters of interest relating to dentistry and healthcare. 

For various reasons, many people would love to be on the cover of an international magazine. A few months ago a young lady from Afghanistan was featured on the front cover of Time magazine. It was an excellent photo of a rather tragic story.

She was the victim of a family dispute. The net result was that her nose and ears were cut off by her husband. Her full face, together with her facial deformities was shown on the cover of the magazine. (You can view a video of the story behind the Time magazine cover here.)

I am sure the physical pain she endued was beyond imagination. Even though our inner beauty has higher long term value, it would be challenging for a young lady with her nose totally cut off  to move on with life.  The Time magazine story was about her being rescued and on her way to California to have her facial deformities corrected.

The extend of her deformities would be extremely difficult for any excellent surgeon. One of the best solutions is a prosthetic replacement.

Sure enough, on October 15, 2010 her new face was shown to the world. Her face was on a quarter page article on the Straits Times in Singapore. Her trip to the US was good and her nasal defect was augmented with a beautifully made prosthesis. Now her inner beauty is nicely garnished by her new beautiful face.

 Little did people know that this work is the job of a maxillofacial prosthodontist, a dental specialist who has an ‘extreme’ sub-specialization into taking care of not just teeth but also the whole head and neck area.

I used to tell people that I made a living by ‘making faces’ and I am glad to see that my fellow maxillofacial prosthodontists in California have done a reasonable job for her. 

Dr. Ansgar C. Cheng is a Dental Specialist in Prosthodontics (Teeth Replacement) with Specialist Dental Group™. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor with the National University of Singapore.  He has a special interest in dental implants, cosmetic dentistry and treatment of  medically compromised patients, including cancer patients. For more information about Dr. Cheng, click here