Lightning team dentist says Bishop will be smiling again soon

TAMPA (FOX 13) - The Tampa Bay Lightning came away with a win in Toronto Tuesday night, but it was a loss for Ben Bishop when a puck to his facemask knocked out his two front teeth.

The starting goalie stayed in the game, but his smile was far from perfect.

"I am very familiar with Ben's mouth, especially his front teeth," Bishop's dentist, Dr. Gil Rivera said.

Dr. Rivera is actually the official team dentist for the Bolts.

"Ben Bishop is a tough guy. He definitely gets a permanent man card for staying in the game," Dr. Rivera said.

It's Dr. Rivera's job to mend Ben's mouth. He says most goalies don't wear mouth guards.

"We may just temporarily get him through, because let's face it, he's a hockey player," he said. "We tend to do permanent things when there's a decent amount of time for healing."

Dr. Rivera's dental practice is in Tampa. He said he's confident we'll see Bishop smiling again.

"We're going to make him look great again. He has a great smile. We want him to smile and represent the Lightning just like he always has," Dr. Rivera told FOX 13.

Dr. Rivera estimates 80 to 90 percent of NHL players have dealt with some sort of dental trauma. As the team dentist, he admits he stays very busy.