By Jenny Callison
Enquirer contributor

Plastic surgeon Jon Mendelsohn (left) and cosmetic dentist Tom Hedge of Advanced Cosmetic Surgery look at a plaster cast of one of their patients at their office in Norwood. The Cincinnati Enquirer/GLENN HARTONG

NORWOOD - Two specialists who collaborate to enhance patients' faces are changing the face of medical treatment as well.

For about a year, plastic surgeon Jon Mendelsohn and dentist Thomas Hedge have been working together on comprehensive facial makeovers. As The Face Team, the two integrate surgical and nonsurgical facial procedures with cosmetic dentistry. They think that by coordinating their services, they are at the forefront of collaborative consultation and care.

"There are only so many things I can do for a patient," Mendelsohn said. "A patient may need specialists in other disciplines to receive optimal care. It's nice to have a relationship with other specialists."

Referral relationships in medicine are nothing new. But the close association that Mendelsohn and Hedge have developed means that a patient who wants both facial and dental procedures can talk with both before a plan of treatment is developed. A video imaging system enables patients to see a picture of the results of various procedures, ranging from a new smile to Thermage, a nonsurgical facelift.

"People want to know how much is involved, and how much pain they can expect," Hedge said. "If we plan from the beginning, the patient has more input and can make the best decisions."

Mendelsohn, whose office is in Rookwood Tower, met West Chester-based Hedge through what he terms "a little bit of fate and a little bit of luck.

"We were both looking for the same thing. I had always wanted to bring a cosmetic dentist into my practice; he was looking for a qualified plastic surgeon."

Added Hedge: "We have educated each other about what we can do."

While each maintains an independent practice and bills patients separately, the two visit for consultations; Hedge plans to move enough equipment to Rookwood Tower so that he can treat patients there.

The partners agree that the television show Extreme Makeover has spurred interest in a comprehensive approach to physical alteration.

"I think that show has brought image confidence into the mainstream," Mendelsohn said. "But on the show, they are taking people out of their lives for six weeks and really making them over. That's not typically what's done. And, unfortunately, there's a perception among some people that a makeover can fix all your problems."

On the other hand, the Face Team duo points out, society does place a premium on an attractive appearance. Women have long looked to cosmetic surgery to enhance their looks.

"Men in the workforce want to look better because they feel it makes them more competitive," Hedge said.

Said Mendelsohn: "It could be something really minor that bothers an individual, but (when it is treated), they have more self-confidence, and people respond to them better."

Despite the involvement of various specialists in Extreme Makeover, collaborations like that of Mendelsohn and Hedge are not common, said Russell Dean, executive director of the Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati.

"While doctors forever have had referral relationships, I'm not aware of a lot of cases where they can offer a package," he said. ""... Anything that can be done to improve the continuity and coordination of care is worthwhile."

Hedge thinks that The Face Team represents an unusual partnership.

"I speak to groups of dentists throughout the country and always talk about this relationship," he said. "I see light bulbs going off in people's heads, but nobody's ever heard of this kind of thing."

E-mail jcallison@zoomtown.com