Steven Frost
Endodontics
Dental School/Year Graduated: University of the Pacific, 1992
Years in Practice: 28
What drew you and your brother to dentistry?
Our father was a general dentist in Mesa since 1973 [and] was a role model for Stu and me. He was at every sporting event we ever participated in, and it impacted us to want to be like him. We grew up cleaning the office at nights, playing in the lab with the wax and drills. Call us crazy, but we always loved the smell of a dental office.
Why did you pursue different specialties?
I think we chose the specialty based on our pre-clinical experience in dental school. I enjoyed the thought of doing root canals all day long, but would’ve chosen ortho if I had known that kids would start crying not from getting braces, but because they weren’t ready for braces. Ha! Times have changed!
What’s the single biggest cause of root death in teeth?
When a tooth dies, it’s often from some sort of trauma. Deep cavities, cracks in teeth, deep fillings due to deep decay and even teeth with new restorations or crowns can be traumatic to the vitality of a tooth. In a small amount of teeth, just the procedure to repair your tooth with a filling and/or crown can lead to your tooth dying.
You have six kids and soon to be 10 grandkids! How do you squeeze in quality time with them?
We take a long weekend each month and visit one of our children and grandchildren wherever they live. So far, we’ve gone to Indiana, San Francisco, San Clemente, Oregon and Idaho. Our favorite gathering place is a summer trip to Newport Beach for a family reunion.
What’s the funniest thing a patient has said to you on nitrous oxide?
[One patient said] that she was so nervous that she might wet her pants. Instead, she kept laughing and giggling while pointing to the ceiling and saying, “I want to take one of those pink elephants on the ceiling home with me.” And then repeating, “Gas is great, gas is great!” I told her, “I agree, gas is great!”
Stuart Frost
Orthodontics
Dental School/Year Graduated: University of the Pacific, 1992
Years in Practice: 22
Though the field of orthodontics is very technical, you view it as an art. What can you tell us about the creative side of your practice?
I love what Picasso said: “All children are born artists – the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up.” When you combine technical processes with artistry, you create amazing results no matter what field you are in. I love the creative process because it is hard in the beginning, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.
You specialize in the Damon System. Why is this a better alternative to traditional braces?
The Damon System uses a bracket with a door on it, so when the wire is inserted into the bracket, and the door closes, we no longer have to tighten the braces by ligating the wire into the bracket slot. In most cases [with serious crowding], we are not having to extract teeth like we did with traditional brackets. We see broader smiles with teeth filling the buccal corridors, and most important: beautiful faces, especially the mid-face and upper lip!
What’s your favorite portrayal of a dentist in TV or film?
My favorite TV dentist skit was Tim Conway on The Carol Burnett Show. Tim played an awkward new dentist fresh out of school and admits to the patient that he only worked on animals in school. The patient is in pain and agrees to have the procedure to get out of pain. While getting the Novocaine ready to inject, Tim accidentally numbs his hands and fumbles the rest of the time. It is hilarious!
“If I wasn’t a dentist, I’d be…”
A plastic surgeon.
