Surgery and Dental Implants Help Patient Start New Life

Patient Adam Ryden, left, with Dr. Mohamed Kamel

After a disfiguring car accident on the Garden State Parkway, Adam Ryden was left with facial lacerations, several shattered teeth, a split lip and pulverized jaw bone.

But thanks to two years of team work by RSDM specialists -- and several airplane flights from Indiana to Jersey -- Ryden's scars are healed. His jaw has been rebuilt and his missing teeth have been replaced with implants, all in time for his wedding earlier this year.

For Ryden, 33, the results were worth the cross country trips. Even after moving back to his mid-western home state, he decided to stick with care from surgeon Dr. Vincent Ziccardi and prosthodontist Dr. Mohamed Kamel. "I felt very comfortable with Dr. Kamel and Dr. Ziccardi so I didn’t want to change,'' said Ryden. "I really trusted Dr. Ziccardi, and Dr. Kamel was very personable. I could tell he was passionate about my case and wanted the best long-term results for me.’’

The work began after Ryden suffered facial trauma in the accident and was taken to University Hospital. Dr. Ziccardi, chair of RSDM’s Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Department, repaired Ryden's lacerations and eventually rebuilt his  jaw by grafting bone from his hip. Later, he placed the implants.

In the meantime, Dr. Kamel made a partial denture for Ryden , who felt self-conscious about his missing teeth, which inhibited him on the job and in social situations.  He was grateful for the dentures but wanted something more permanent. Dental implants were the answer.  "It was good to be functional but using a denture for the rest of my life wasn’t where I wanted to go,'' he explained.

The personalized, collaborative care Ryden received is a trademark of Rutgers Health University Dental Associates, where top specialists from RSDM collaborate under the same roof  to provide treatment. They work in a private practice setting at offices in Newark and New Brunswick, treating patients directly rather than overseeing students.

Within the space of four months this year, Ryden made three trips to Newark for the surgery and crown fittings, often flying in and out the same day to save money. Drs. Ziccardi and Kamel only had a short window of time to work but they were able to get the job done without sacrificing quality so Ryden could catch his flight home. “I wanted his teeth to look natural, not fake. He’s young and that was important to me,’’ said Dr. Kamel.

 
Two years after the accident Ryden has a bright, natural-looking smile and is thrilled with the results, most of which were completed in time for his wedding.  “I’m back to normal,’’ he says with a grin.