UDM Alumni News: Snapshots of a Pandemic

Snapshots of a Pandemic

Members of the University of Detroit Mercy Community are stepping up in different ways to combat the COVID-19 crisis. We are sharing their stories here.

Helping dental patients from afar

Updated 2:37 p.m., April 6

Of the many things interrupted by the self-isolation orders to help stem the transmission of the coronavirus, dental procedures haven’t gotten much attention.

Dental offices were deemed nonessential services and had to obey the order to close. While that may not pose a problem for many patients, there are people for whom postponing an appointment can be an issue.

“If a patient needs a crown, the process is to create a temporary one they wear for a short amount of time while the permanent one is being made,” said Bill Huszti ’92, who has operated Huszti Dental Care in Milford with his wife Anna Chong-Huszti ’92 for more than 25 years. “But with the closures, many of these patients are wearing them for a longer time than they were designed for and may loosen or come off.”

Huszti, for whom video making is a hobby, decided that instead of letting his patients – and any others who may be worried about this – he would make an instructional video.

In it, he shows how to keep a temporary crown in place with a little bit of toothpaste and a little bit of care. You can see it on the Huszti Dental Care YouTube channel here https://www.youtube.com/user/milforddentist, where you can see other instructional videos

“I wanted to help calm people’s fears,” Huszti said. “This is a quick fix that will, hopefully, save them some worry.”

Bill Huszti and Anna Chong met at Detroit Mercy Dental and were married shortly after graduation. They have two daughters. Their oldest, Olivia, is a freshman in Detroit Mercy’s 7-year Dental program; her sister Sophia will join her in the same program in the fall.

These closures have been hard for Huszti Dental Care, but he knows it’s the right thing to do.

“During these difficult times, we have all been called upon to stay at home,” he writes on his website. “For me and my staff, this has been very hard. We miss our patients and each other very much.”

— By Ron Bernas