David’s teeth and gums were so bad he struggled to eat even bananas and bread
A dad who lost so many teeth he struggled to eat says his life has been totally transformed after radical dental surgery. David Pearce, 53, was barely able to consume a banana and struggled with bread after gum disease, poor dentistry and neglect left him with just 15 teeth. Most adults have 32. The mechanic believes his problems began in childhood – and were exacerbated by smoking from a young age. “When I was eight my dentist changed,” he says. “He started drilling my teeth and giving me fillings left right and centre. “After this my teeth took a decline, and they began falling out when I was 18. As my bite deteriorated, they got worse and worse and continued to fall out. I often pulled the teeth out myself. They were so painful it was better to have them out than have them in and suffer from the pain.”
Matters went from bad to worse when he spent around £9,000 for failed treatment at a practice which then shut down. In desperation he contacted the popular TV show 10 Years Younger, and was referred to world-renowned Harley Street dentist Dr Fazeela Khan-Osborne. “To be honest I didn’t think there was a lot she could have done,” David says. “She said my teeth were in a very, very sorry state. But then she told me ‘not to worry, we can fix this’. I was shocked.” The original estimate for work was between £40k and £44k but Dr Fazeela gave David a discount to make the process more affordable with a final bill of £36k. Treatment was gruelling and took three years. David, from Hounslow, needed grafts from the top of his nose into his jaw as there was so much bone loss and 18 implants. Dr Fazeela also had to reimagine and then create a new perfect bite.
Much of the major work was completed in one day with surgery starting at 10am and finishing at 7pm. The results have transformed David’s life and he says his new set of sparkling whites are “top notch”. “My life really has been changed,” he says. “I smile a lot more. I never realised it affected my confidence so much. “When I used to go to a restaurant I would be looking for the softest food. Now I have complete food freedom and I’ve got the enjoyment back. Having the ability to eat whatever I choose is such an underrated privilege.” “I have two girls and they love the transformation, they think I look like a different person.”
Dr Fazeela has treated 600 people in the last 30 years with the same problems as David. “I would say 15% of the population suffer from extreme tooth loss,” she says. “It’s more prevalent in the north than in the south and in the post 50 generation. But a lot of people have no teeth. “David is quite a common patient with a terminal broken down jaw. I think it’s important to understand that this is the end stage for him. I like full mouth rehabilitation because it allows you to give the patient back themselves, to replace the loss and give them a new lease of life. The loss is both psychological and functional – and it can be restored for the long term.” “I love to do that because when my father lost his teeth, I wasn’t able to. It’s my gift back, the bit of dentistry that I love and I”m skilled enough to do. There are cases you do for love and there are cases you do for money and there are cases you do that are so difficult that it just makes you a significantly better clinician. “David’s case was a bit of love and a bit of difficulty. I just wanted to help him because he is a very nice man, very kind and very grateful. He’s fully on board – he just needed someone to hold his hand through the process.”
