Robertson has also been working with the Tech athletics department for the last two years.
“Whether it’s a boy or a girl — a college-aged student,” Goforth said, “they don’t want to look in that mirror and see a chipped tooth staring back at them.”
Dentist Robertson said Taylor’s fix was relatively simple.
“Sometimes you can have a tooth that’ll either get knocked out or broken into the pulp of the tooth,” Robertson said, “but this was just an edge of the tooth that needed to be bonded.”
There’s a little extra pressure when mending notable faces like Taylor’s, Robertson said, especially when the procedure involves visible teeth. With athletes pictured in numerous media outlets, he hopes no one will question his work.
“You worry,” Robertson said, “is his tooth going to look funny and people are going to wonder ‘What’s with that?’”
But since serious injuries are a rarity, Family Dentistry also serves as a hygiene resource for athletes.
“We have a lot of athletes that come here that haven’t seen dentists in years,” Goforth said, “so these guys are great at helping take care of those needs also.”
And Robertson said Family Dentistry appreciates the visitor influx.
“We always like seeing new patients,” he said, “and we like seeing the college kids.”
It’s infrequent that Tech covers the student bills, though. Most Family Dentistry procedures go directly through athletes’ insurance. If it’s inadequate, though, the athletic department allocates funds to assist payment. The NCAA also has available reserves that are distributed based on need.
Robertson and Bass don’t get special treatment, either. Their office doesn’t boast free Tech sports gear signed by prominent names, and they attend athletic events with tickets they purchased themselves.
One might wonder what the appeal is, then.
“I think just because we’re Tech fans,” Robertson said with a laugh, “and kind of part of a Tech community here in Blacksburg.”
Bass, a Tech graduate, recently submitted his order for basketball season tickets. He played the sport throughout his high school career and coincidentally suffered a chipped tooth.
“If I’d had a mouthpiece,” he said, “it wouldn’t have happened.”
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