Complex Reconstructions with Prosthetic Dentistry

Introducing Dr. Haris Šabić,the prosthodontist in the dental practice Identalia in Zagreb and Italy

Dr. Haris Šabić is currently the prosthodontist in Identalia, a dental clinic in Zagreb and Italy. He specializes in dental prosthetics with large reconstruction, such as all-on-4 and all-on-6, and periodontal procedures, such as free gingival grafts and implantology. In his free time, he loves playing football, reading, and traveling.

Dr. Šabić says he hadn’t always wanted to be a dentist. As a young kid, he had wanted to pursue a career in football, his lifelong passion. But once he turned 18, he had to decide if he’d embark on the incredibly challenging and risky career path of being a professional athlete or pursue higher education. After consulting with his parents, he decided to pursue an education. Out of all the colleges and courses available in Croatia, dental school and medical school made the most sense to him. He went with dentistry because it seemed more artistic.

The motivation to pursue prosthodontics

Dr. Šabić says he pursued prosthodontics because it can dramatically change someone’s life. He says he notices a visible difference in his patient’s personalities and attitudes to life after he gives them a beautiful smile. He has even had patients say they’ve embarked on new careers or gotten a girlfriend because of the prosthetic work. Dr. Šabić says he loves this sub-specialty because it allows for an emotional connection between the dentist and the patient.

Reconstructing a deformed set of teeth

When asked to describe a case he’s most proud of, Dr. Šabić described the situation of a patient who hadn’t brushed for weeks or months. He had a young 21-year-old patient who had terrible teeth because of heavy smoking and a lack of attention to oral hygiene. In fact, when he observed the patient’s mouth, he was shocked to find that it was completely covered in plaque and tartar, with severe signs of bacterial infection and decay. Initially, he couldn’t even fathom how he could possibly work on such teeth.

They started the treatment with a thorough dental cleaning for a few sessions. After a dental cleaning, they reconstructed the complete upper arch. In his opinion, there was plenty of indication of crowns in the lower arch as well, but he wanted to do something more conservative because the patient was extremely young. He believes the patient will eventually need more intensive reconstruction in the lower jaws as well after 10 to 15 years. Shortly after the complete treatment, the patient reported having a new girlfriend.

Dr. Šabić believes there are two reasons the patient eventually sought treatment after years of dental neglect. First, the patient had started working and had collected enough funds for the treatment. The second is that the patient had had a rough childhood that made him neglect his oral health, but he finally wanted to turn his life around, and that started with his teeth.

Undergoing prosthetic therapy after two years of orthodontic treatment

Dr. Šabić also discussed the situation of a 40-year-old woman who had to undergo prosthetic treatments after two years of Invisalign. The woman was missing her lateral incisors in the upper arch, so she had been pursuing Invisalign to straighten the teeth and cover the gaps. However, after 2 years of Invisalign, the teeth hadn’t moved properly. The orthodontist guessed that the patient may not have worked with Invisalign regularly, but they can’t be sure.

However, since orthodontic treatment wasn’t working and the patient was eager to see instant results, they decided to proceed with prosthodontics. The patient was keen on closing the gaps between her teeth, which they could accomplish with dental crowns. When the patient first received the crowns, she observed that she could no longer feel the breeze between her teeth, which she found to be strange. But after a few days, she was thrilled with the results.

Periodontal experiments on pig jaws

Dr. Šabić ́is nothing if not creative with his work. Not too long ago, Dr. Šabić posted a story about how he and his friend created an impromptu periodontology course in his living room using a pig jaw as a model. Apparently, his friend was passionate about taking a course on periodontology. However, the course was abruptly canceled a few days before it started, so Dr. Šabić brought a pig jaw from the butcher’s shop and invited his friend for an at-home course!

Working on a pig jaw was initially strange, but it eventually ended up being fun. When asked what he learned from working on the pig jaw, Dr. Šabić said they performed gingival grafts with a single incision, free gingival grafts, root coverage with tunnel technique, suturing, and more. He says if you have a big pig jaw, you can perform several dental procedures repeatedly. As such, a pig jaw is an excellent means of experimenting and practicing your skills as a dentist.

Dr. Šabić can be found on LinkedIn or Instagram. You can also listen to him on the latest episode of our Zircon Medical Podcast.