Croglio supports Sabres on and off the ice

A Buffalo Sabres season ticket holder for years, David Croglio currently enjoys a different relationship with the players. He now watches the action at home games from a seat a few rows above the bench so that in the event of an injury on the ice, he can switch gears from fan to team dentist.

A Buffalo native and clinical assistant professor at the UB School of Dental Medicine, Croglio says his first love has always been general dentistry. He confesses, though, that early in his professional life, journal articles about sports medicine piqued his interest.

“I always enjoyed sports,” he says. “Sports dentistry gave me a way to be involved in something unique with dentistry and I could combine the two things that I enjoy most.”

His new interest developed during the time UB was pushing to move from Division III to Division I in football. Croglio recalls approaching head athletic trainer Mike Riley in 1993 about his interest in providing care for dental injuries incurred by Bulls players.

“I had always followed UB sports,” he notes.

Croglio had graduated from the UB dental school in 1987, shortly before joining a private practice he now owns.  

“I felt the best way to realize my sports and dentistry interests was to volunteer my time with a sports team,” he says. “It also gave me an opportunity to give back to the UB community. I estimate that during the past 20 years, my students and I have provided over 2,500 mouth guards for UB athletes.”

Riley, who remembered Croglio as a student from a class he had taught 10 years earlier, readily accepted his offer. Croglio’s association with a college team made his transition to the professional realm a natural progression. When the Sabres’ dentist left, the team’s oral surgeon, Steve Jensen, put Croglio in touch with the Sabres head athletic trainer, Tim Macre, who interviewed and recommended him for the job.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I started,” Croglio says. “One of the things that struck me is that most of the players I have met are humble and appreciative of the fact that they have the opportunity to play in the NHL. They work with local charities and make a lot of appearances, like visiting hospitalized kids. They get what’s important.”

Being a team dentist can be demanding. Croglio arrives at the arena an hour before each game and leaves an hour after. During that time, he checks all the Sabres, as well as members of the visiting team, for any mouth or dental injuries.

When asked about how this schedule might encroach on his family life, he says there are no problems.

“I have an understanding wife who likes hockey so she enjoys going to the games, which really helps, and truthfully, we’ve always purchased season tickets anyway. The main difference now is that we are not able to spend as much of the night together. I am only in the seats when the players are on the ice and could be called to the medical room at any time. Some nights can be late, depending on the needs of the players.”

Croglio’s perspective on the game of hockey also has changed. He keeps a treatment chair at First Niagara Center with a portable dental unit. The supply room is stocked with items intended to provide a temporary fix for oral mishaps so players can return to the game.

“The most common question people ask me is if any of the players still have their teeth,” he says. “It’s funny, but I think people still have images of hockey players from years ago, like Bobby Hull smiling and missing his front teeth. I’m happy to say that most players still have their natural teeth and that about 90 percent of the team wear mouth guards during games.”

Croglio is, of course, an enthusiastic supporter of mouth guards. He makes all of the impressions and custom mouth guards for the Buffalo Sabres at his Amherst office.

As UB course director for sports dentistry, his students make the molds for each of the UB Bulls’ custom-fit mouth guards. Croglio insists the most common injuries, like a chipped tooth, lacerated lip or a bitten tongue, can be much more serious without protection.

He also would like to see additional protection for NHL players with the use of full facial masks, recalling an incident in Toronto when a Sabre was hit in the face with a darting puck, shattering the orbit of an eye.

“Every level of hockey — youth, women and college, up to the NHL — requires facial masks. It is a great idea, but it is unfortunate that I don’t see it happening in the near future.”

Croglio has no regrets about balancing dual careers in general dentistry and sports dentistry, despite his rigorous schedule as a faculty member in the UB Department of Restorative Dentistry. He never tires of seeing what goes on behind the scenes of professional hockey — the rigorous training, the injuries players endure while maintaining the desire to get back in the game as soon as possible. Croglio believes it is a privilege to help them do just that.

“I’ve been a fan since I was a kid and often remember great former Sabres like Pat LaFontaine, Alexander Mogilny and my favorite goaltender, Dominic Hasek, as I watch the games and cannot believe I am now a part of the team. It will be interesting to see how this young group of players on the present team comes together over the next few years. There is a lot of potential and it will be exciting to watch this team mature.”