Dr. Mogell Dental Blog

Boca Raton Cosmetic Dentist

Eye For An Eye, tooth for a .....

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

An eye for an eye, a tooth for an eye?

We are all familiar with the figure of speech “an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth”, well here’s a new slant to that metaphor.

At the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School Of Medicine earlier this month, corneal specialist Dr. Victor L. Perez performed a surgical procedure that entailed implanting a patient tooth in her eye to hold a prosthetic lens in place.

The patient had a rare skin condition which also destroys cells on the surface of the eye. As a result cornea was scarred and she lost her sight.
Dr. Perez was quoted “For certain patients whose bodies reject a transplanted or artificial cornea, this procedure 'of last resort' implants the patient's tooth in the eye to anchor a prosthetic lens and restore vision".

The surgery has been successful and within two weeks the patient was able to read newsprint and had a visual acuity of 20/70. In another strange twist to this story was that the tooth the doctor choose to use for the procedure was the canine, otherwise known as the eye tooth!
We continue to discover how dental health isn’t just about the mouth. The relationship of dental diseases to diseases throughout the body is growing.

This is just another illustration to the importance of taking car of your teeth and having them cleaned by our hygienist regularly. One never knows when you will need your teeth or what for! Give us a call at 561-394-900 to schedule your next appointment.

Kenneth A. Mogell, D.M.D.