Getting new teeth from Dr Biju Thomas was a life-changing experience for me. Although I still had my visible front teeth, in the back there was only one pair of working molars and one molar on its own.

Chewing with my front teeth was slow and prevented conversation, chewing with the remaining pair of molars was painful and they were unlikely to last much longer as they were doing all the work. A set of partial dentures that cost over $2000 in the US were so uncomfortable that I hardly ever used them.

I found Dr Thomas online, liked the testimonials I read, and decided to go. During the first visit, in February 2012, Dr Thomas put in 13 posts, two of them in the holes left by extracting the three molars. On each side of the upper jaw he inserted bone matrix to stimulate restoration of the bone density I had lost through years of having no teeth.

All this was done in a few hours, in a few sessions. The local anesthetic was effective, and Dr Thomas’ calm presence and obvious mastery of his technique made these sessions stress-free. I was more relaxed in his chair than I usually was in my hometown when getting a routine cleaning. After each session I would have some pain when the numbness wore off, but never enough that I could not get a good night’s sleep or eat soft food. By the time I left India my gums had healed around the posts, so I was scarcely aware of their presence.

Six months later, I returned for the final stage. This was much easier, as the only surgery required was to expose the tips of the posts, to enable abutments to be screwed in. For a few days, I lived with the exposed abutments in my mouth, which made eating a little awkward, though painless. Then the crowns were attached, and for the first time in many decades (I am 64) I had a whole set of teeth to eat with.

Now it’s 2 months later and I am eating with relish, whatever I want to, and I am gaining weight and health. My new teeth are not normally visible, but when I show them to friends everyone comments how authentic they look. They feel solid beyond my expectation. I have been living so long with rotten, sensitive, weak teeth that I had forgotten the feeling of strong solid teeth and the strenuous biting they are capable of. I particularly enjoy eating apples, crusty bread, chips, caramel, hard toast. An unexpected effect of the new teeth, and the removal of the rotten ones, is that my mouth tastes fresh, and my breath is sweet.

I would recommend this to anyone. The more teeth you need to replace, the more dramatic will be your experience, and the greater the financial saving. In the US I could have paid three or four times as much to a dentist who spends most of his time in general dental practice, and probably sees one or two implant patients a month. Dr Thomas is a specialist, a dedicated implantologist, an expert of great depth and experience. I came to the same conclusion as many of his other patients, “I should have done this years ago”.

I am open to answering your questions about my experience if you are considering this step but are unsure. If you have any questions please send an email.

Ashik Peter Lynch

BOULDER, COLORADO ,USA