Dr Philippe B. Tardieu is no ordinary dentist. He might well be one of the world's leading dental implantologists, an internationally renowned lecturer, and the author of numerous scientific books and articles, but more than a list of qualifications on paper, it's the set-in-stone reality for the hundreds of people whose lives he has helped improve. And that makes him smile, showing off his very own set of pearly whites as we sit face-to-face.
Arriving in Dubai almost a-year-and-a-half ago from France, Dr Philippe, who now works at the Alabama Dental Centre on Al Wasl Road, was shocked when he saw the commercial ambience surrounding dental health and health in general.
At times, people were being charged ridiculous amounts of money for treatments that were less than top-rate. It became imperative that he make it his business to listen to patients, treat individual cases and never sell implants like spare parts.
The One Million Smiles Project – a not-for-profit organisation – was created to treat a large number of fully edentulous (toothless) patients in the Middle East, for a very limited price, and to offer recognisable, sometimes life-changing improvements to the less fortunate.
For the less dentally informed amongst us, badly fitted dentures are all too common and can cause a lifetime of misery. With the aid of ingenious computer-guided implantology, aesthetic dentistry and his professional touch, Dr Philippe is able to fix dentures in the exact correct position, every time.
Dr Philippe is the co-inventor of what is reassuringly titled the SAFE System, which has revolutionised the way dentures are fitted by using only two implants to stabilise lower dentures. Having performed more than 15,000 implants in his impressive career, he bases his clinical practice on four comforting pillars – security, efficiency, no pain and aesthetics.
He also set up a training course introducing dentists to computer guided technology in Grenoble, in South East France. "When I came up with the SAFE System I started with a 3D image that was then transferred to the patient for surgery. It was a long process. Lots of work and background experience was called upon because we always say that a race to excellence is a race with no finish line," he says.
I
I have based my implant placements on a CT scan of the jaw since 1994, and more recently, having invented the SAFE System, I can place implants with an average accuracy of 27 microns.
This may sound like nothing but in a patient's mouth, it's everything. If an implant is fitted incorrectly and an important nerve is damaged, it could lead to a numb lip and chin for the rest of your life.
It's called paresthesia and it's irreversible, even though it can happen in just a tenth of a second. The average manual implant placement had 3.3 mm accuracy before. When we're talking about your mouth, the difference between that and today's 27 microns is gigantic, almost life-changing.
I had no problem replacing upper dentures 10 years ago; they were fine. But the lower was a problem because they didn't always lock properly and could hurt. We changed it by placing just two implants in the mouth and making dentures that clipped on.
Patients would say: "Doctor, you have changed my life." I realised that there's something behind this. But it's not that simple. It's expensive because you need 16 different pieces to make two implants.
So I worked on it until I reduced the number of pieces, which reduced the costs. I patented the SAFE System after working with a company who were orientating screws in the spine, which is not my speciality, but based on the theory of it all, I set about developing protocols and products for dentistry and packaged them.
I introduced an original procedure in 2002 called the Immediate Smile procedure where the patient walks in with no teeth and walks out with a full set, thanks to the most amazing computer-guided technology.
I pride myself on total accuracy. With the SAFE System we increased accuracy by 10 times. Mental navigation isn't accuracy at all – it's mostly guesswork. To ensure we're secure, we work with CT scans; everybody gets to see exactly what's going on.
I aim to be efficient. Efficiency is vital in a city like Dubai where everybody's constantly on the move. Patients need to know right away what they face when it comes to surgery. I explain each step so the patient is much more informed and knows we have all the proper tools to do that job.
I am asked all the time about pain, and of course, we've been working hard to beat this problem. "How much does it cost? and "How much does it hurt?" are the first questions asked.
I've found excellent specialists in this field in Dubai and we can now do incredible surgery under full anaesthesia (with conscious sedation or local anaesthesia).
I had a teacher who used to say, "If you want to be a good surgeon you have to open wide – you have to open the flaps!" To see something we had to look with our eyes, but now we can see it on the computer. When the technology was first displayed in 2006 people were lining up to see their mouths from different angles!
I'm in constant contact with a strong, international network, including the major implantologists and aesthetic dentists all over the world.
I have a close relationship with the Department of Aesthetics at New York University, which allows me to stay posted on the latest developments – sometimes they even need my level of skill and I'm happy I can provide expertise and answers, even from here.
Me
Me and my company
I established my company three years ago and moved with my wife here a year ago. We've met some absolutely wonderful and highly educated people. I find it to be an incredibly rewarding environment both socially and professionally.
Me and my passion
I'm in love with a beautiful smile and of course, my patients all want one. That's my job, to help give them the smile they deserve.
Aesthetics are different to cosmetics, though. Aesthetics relate to the beauty and the essence of feeling whole. It's different to simply bleaching your teeth, although this might make some feel better about their look and themselves in general.
Me and my choice of profession
I would have been something in fashion, if not dentistry. I love movement and the body and creation.
Myself
What are your thoughts regarding Dubai Healthcare City (DHC)?
I'm sure DHC is set to change things for the better here – standards have got to improve. DHC is a place that runs by different rules. You need special training to work there. Some countries' levels of healthcare will not be enough to qualify those people to practise there – they'll operate at an extremely high standard, as I do.
What does our healthcare industry lack?
The most important thing I see here is that people need to know how to work with protocols. Coming here,
I was astonished to find some people didn't track what products they were using or what they were injecting into patients.
When I numb a patient I know everything about the products
I use and I can track them using a special system called Traceability. Now they are starting Traceability in Abu Dhabi. It tracks what we sterilise, how we mark things, how we store them. It should be globally enforced.
Is dentistry an art or a science?
I used to say we are bringing the art of dentistry to the level of science. It's not just art you see, it's science – even with aesthetics. We cannot work at such an artist's level, because we have to follow very strict rules.
Talk about your work with RP4 (Rapid Prototyping) Baghdad project.
A part of my practice is to teach and take care of poor people. We started the RP4 (Rapid Prototyping) Baghdad project in 2006 to help people who had been badly injured, who had their faces blown up and jawbones broken. Many kids are involved in that because they play in the streets.
When patients come to the hospital we have to save their lives because they are bleeding, almost dying sometimes. Then we have to save them from infection from open wounds and only after that, we start rebuilding as best we can. We take some bone from other parts of their body and make new parts via the computer imagery.
It's tough and we have faced difficulties. One of the three surgeons in Baghdad received a letter telling him that if he was still here in a month they would kill him. He refused to leave and they killed him.
Now there is only one surgeon in Baghdad, another is in Jordan and now we transfer patients to Amman. My part is to teach the local people how to handle all the cases. Currently I am trying to teach children here to be in touch with charity – to make a link between the young victims and the young people here.
How do you define success?
If you don't want to be good to patients, you will never be successful. My ambition is to exchange everything I have learned for even more knowledge and practice all my life.
I am built for that, it's my first love.
