When Poulsbo prosthodontist Doctor Stephen Sadowsky first heard the tragic news about the terrorist airplane bombings in New York and Washington, he was flying in an airplane himself and one of the few Americans on board. While traveling with his wife, Fran, to a European Conference on implant dentistry in Milan, Italy, a Parisian woman overheard them speaking English and issued the grave report.

“It was a very strange feeling, being marooned in a way and not knowing whether I’d be able to get back home. In the airport, even with the heightened security, it was eerie and nerve wracking.”

Fortunately for his daughter and his patients, the doctor did manage to make it home, although his original return flight was canceled.

For a professional whose world-renowned skills have helped so many to restore their smile, there was hardly a toothsome grin to be found on those inbound passengers.

Certainly not the beaming smile of pop superstar Madonna, whom Dr. Sadowsky once had the opportunity of treating in his 25 year practice in Beverly Hills, before he left the mecca of show business and settled in Kitsap to raise his family. In case you’re wondering, those ARE Julia Roberts’ natural teeth, and, believe it or not, Tom Cruise has a bridge; his midline is off, and the bridge is done so well that the midline discrepancy is considered to be charming.

“Hollywood has this reputation of having tooth replacements that appear to be unnatural — almost fighting for one’s youth,” explains Sadowsky. “But we aspire to what is going to be age relevant and really not detected by the eye. If it’s a shade difference that’s not appropriate for the age, or if there’s a contour difference that’s not appropriate for the adjacent teeth, you’ve got to fix it immediately. Being able to make a biological restoration that is invisible is the goal.” This isn’t Beverly Hills, 98370. “There was quite a demand to do just aesthetic dentistry where there wasn’t a functional problem [there], there’s less of that here in Poulsbo, which is great.”

At the forefront of his field, Dr. Sadowsky is an expert on the stresses of various attachments or prostheses as a recently published paper on the subject attests. In Milan, he presented a poster on how varying the number of implants effects the force that’s delivered to some prostheses. During the academic year, he travels to his alma mater, UCLA, to teach in a professional education forum with an accent on implant dentistry.

When he looks at the future of this rapidly evolving field, he can even envision how stem cell work may enable us to reproduce a tooth from a natural harbinger.

Doctors and patients interested in more information are invited to contact his practice at (360) 779-7414. Sadowsky also has a study club for interested dentists. That’s something that should get people smiling just about anywhere in the world.