Sarasota couple have taken dentistry to ‘3D’ level

Former Manatee County resident Cathy Grippi describes herself as a “dental-phobe,” a person who is afraid of the dentist.

It started, she recalls, when she was screaming in terror as a 6-year-old as the family dentist and his assistant in Westchester County, N.Y, literally sat on her to get a laughing gas mask over her face.

“I was very young and it wasn’t pleasant,” Grippi said. “Some big guy held me down. I remember the mask going over my mouth and nose.”

It took six decades for Grippi to be able to finally be comfortable in a dentist’s office, she said.

The practice that won Grippi over is World Class Dentistry at 3951 Swift Road, Sarasota, run by a Sarasota married couple — Dr. Jill Morris and her husband, Dr. Burr Bakke.

Drs. Morris and Bakke did it, according to Grippi, with a mixture of new technology and old-fashioned bedside manner.

But mostly, Grippi said, speaking from her dental-phobe self, it was the technology.

“Last year, Jill placed the veneers on my front teeth and, literally, the way the technology is now, you can do it in a day,” a beaming Grippi said last week.

One day in and out is perfect for a dental-phobe, Grippi added.

“You come in and they do the work,” Grippi said. “They can make crowns and veneers while you are there. What used to be a long-drawn out process is a day and the nightmare is over. In fact, there is no nightmare. There is no pain. They are such a great office, especially for people like me who might be less comfortable coming to a dental office.”

CEREC

World Class Dentistry is one of only a small number of area practices that have a Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic, or CEREC, which is a machine that enables the practice to do both computer-aided design and manufacture porcelain restorations in the office.

The day that Grippi came in to have her smile reinvented, Morris started by taking a digital camera scan of her front teeth.

“Literally, this wand goes in your mouth before any work is done and it takes a photograph of what it is going to build or recreate and she adds her own thing,” Grippi said.

Morris used the CEREC’s computer-aided design software to create Grippi’s front teeth restoration veneers on the computer screen, leading to a 3D model. Morris was creative with the software, like an artist making a portrait.

Morris then instructed the CEREC to send the final 3D design to a separate milling machine also in the office that, using a robot with burs, automatically milled the restorations out of a small white block of porcelain.

“I took a three-dimensional, optical impression of Cathy’s front teeth and the restorations were done while she was sitting in my chair,” Morris said last week.

Grippi said she was very pleased that it was all over in one visit.

“She even made my front teeth a little bit longer than I was accustomed to,” Grippi said. “She said this is where they should have been. I said, ‘Hey, it took me 60 years to wear them down.’ But I’ve gotten accustomed to the new look now.

“People, strangers say, ‘Your teeth are nice,’ ” Grippi added. “Every time I see Jill I tell her, ‘I got at least four compliments since I saw you last.’ Unsolicited. I smile more.”

Large scope of services

Morris, who is the only accredited cosmetic dentist in the area and who once had her own practice in Bradenton, uses a fictitious patient named John Doe to describe the scope of World Class Dentistry’s services, which the couple believe makes them unique in the area.

Mr. Doe has arrived with sleep apnea, which has caused him to grind down his teeth, Morris said. He has gum disease and needs an implant because the grinding has cracked a tooth, the dentist added.

“We will treat his gum disease non-surgically with our CO2 lasers,” Morris said. “We will enlarge his airway through expansion appliances so he can breathe better. Dr. Bakke will extract the broken tooth and place an implant. I will rebuild his bite with neuro-muscular equipment and give him an incredible smile.”

Once the dentistry is complete, the patient will receive a sleep appliance to protect his new smile and minimize the sleep apnea, Morris said.

“All of this is coordinated with Dr. Bakke, myself and our on-site laboratory technicians with a smooth line of communication and care for the patient,” Morris added.

Morris and Bakke say having complete control means better outcomes for the patient.

“What makes us unique in the Manatee and Sarasota area is that we can comprehensively treat a patient with a multitude of issues at our facility, which maintains the quality control and streamlines treatment,” Morris said.

A ‘life-changing experience?’

Kelton Johnson and Sydney Johnson are both dental technologists at World Class Dentistry. They are also Morris’ children from her first marriage.

The pair say their mother and stepdad actually strive to create a life-changing experience for people when they become patients.

That’s a big goal.

“It’s a whole other standard of care,” Kelton Johnson said. “No one has their diverse training in Sarasota. I don’t think you can find it anywhere in Florida.”

As far as helping Grippi get over her fear, Sydney Johnson said it was due to her mother’s communication skills.

“She talks patients through every step of the way,” Sydney Johnson said. “Also, they can sense she cares about them and that she is really doing everything she can to make sure they are looked after, happy and not afraid.”

Morris and Bakke, who married about 13 years ago, met when they were both teaching at the Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies.

“For 10 years I taught at one of the most unique dental schools in the world,” Morris said, referring to the Las Vegas school. “Dentists would fly there with their patients and team to learn cosmetics, full mouth reconstructions, everything, from instructors like my husband and myself. We would help them work on their patients and then they would fly home.”

Said Bakke: “Because we were instructors, we saw thousands of patients.”

Morris is not afraid to blow her own horn a bit. She feels she has earned it after years and years of training, which has kept her from her children a lot of weekends .

“Patients are coming here for a unique experience,” Morris said with a confident tone. “They come not only because I am cosmetic, but because I am holistic. Burr is excellent in the surgery part. We actually do change lives here. We see it every day.”

Information: 941-451-5543 or sarasotadentist.com.

This story was originally published May 30, 2017 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Sarasota couple have taken dentistry to ‘3D’ level."