Sharing a smile: Local 2-year-old with rare dental disorder fitted with dentures made from mold of another local child

June 27, 2022 | 12:09 am

Updated June 26, 2022 | 9:55 pm

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Two-year old Weston Emmick, who was born with a rare genetic disorder that causes him to be unable to grow teeth, has a new reason to smile. He was recently fitted with dentures, and now shares an identical smile with another local two-year old, Anna Deitz. 

When local dentist Dr. Whitney Deitz learned of Emmick’s condition, she went out of her way to make sure he would have the ability to do things that many people take for granted — such as smile with a full set of teeth, eat, and speak more clearly. 

“We’ve had trouble getting pediatric dentists to help us,” Weston’s mother Ashley said. “Dr. Deitz was a family friend who was our dentist. She went above and beyond, attending a conference to learn about a set of prosthetic teeth for Weston.”

Ashley said her son’s genetic disorder encouraged her to conduct her own research, but is thankful that Deitz was willing to conduct research as well. 

“She was there and ready to work with us. I’m incredibly thankful for her being willing to learn and help us,” Ashely said. “The youngest kid she had worked with prior to Weston was 16. I know she’d be willing to help others as well.”

For the dentures, Weston needed a mold of a small set of teeth. That is where Deitz’ daughter Anna, who is just a few days in age apart from Weston, came in. Using her teeth, the dentures were created for Weston’s new smile. 

“They had to completely mold everything because they didn’t have anything small enough,” Ashley said. “He’s still getting used to them. He wears them a couple hours each day. They are fully removable.” 

For the next several years, Deitz will make Weston a new set of dentures as he grows. By age 5, he will receive two implants for partially fixed dentures, with anchors to hold it in place.

“We feel incredibly blessed,” Ashley said. “They put our little 2-year-old guy in dentures. He’s doing really well with it and it’s only taken him a bit to adjust. She wanted his dentures to look natural, and they look very natural.”

The Emmick family hopes to share their success story in hopes to reach someone else in similar circumstances that might not know where to start. 

“I know it will make a big difference for his speech and it will make a difference in how he can eat,” Ashley said. “Early dental intervention helps with speech, and his smile — he’ll be really proud to have these dentures.”

June 27, 2022 | 12:09 am

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