By Ronnie Nathanielsz
WBC founding secretary general Rudy Salud who managed the career of current WBO No.1 super flyweight contender for some time said yesterday he was glad that Gorres had been checked by well-known orthodontist Dr. Ed de la Vega in Los Angeles who discovered a chronic abscess on his lower right bicuspid which are premolar teeth located between the canine and molar teeth.
Dr. de Vega attended to the abscess immediately and prevented any further problems for Gorres who battles Mexico’s Fernando Montiel for the world title on February 24 in Cebu City. Dr. de Vega indicated that if the chronic abscess hadn't been attended to it could have caused the cancellation of the fight or worse still, a loss for Gorres.
Salud recalled that immediately after Gorres lost his Philippine flyweight title to Edgar Rodrigo in a stunning upset on June 1, 2003, he had him checked out thoroughly by his son-in-law, youthful and well-known dentist Dr. Luis “Luigi” Pastor Jr who discovered six abscessed teeth and had the problem effectively cured. From then on a healthy Gorres went on an impressive winning streak eventually earning a mandatory title shot at Montiel.
Dr. Pastor told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that unfortunately Gorres who needed to have his teeth and gums checked every six months didn’t consult him after Salud was forced to quit as manager because of a serious heart ailment.
Dr. Pastor said fighters generally don’t bother about dental care even as he warned that Gorres tooth infection could have gotten worse and developed holes in his jaw bone “causing a void inside and weakening his jaw.” He said the root canal performed by Dr. de Vega would solve the problem even as he cautioned Gorres to have a regular dental checkup.
