Simon’s Smile in a Day

In May 2022, Simon had his full set of upper teeth restored with dental implants at TDC Harley Street.

‘I played rugby from aged 11 into my 30s. It’s one of the loves of my life.

Unfortunately, when you play rugby you get the occasional accidental boot in the mouth, and I lost a lot of my teeth in my top jaw.

Some were knocked out, some broken, some cracked.

A couple of times I ended up in hospital having emergency dental treatment.

It was very painful, and these are not happy memories.’

My dental problems

‘As a consequence of my rugby injuries, I lived with a lot of dental problems over many years.

I couldn’t bite normally, and I suffered from infections and abscesses.

Many of my favourite foods, like steaks, pork chops and baguettes were off the menu.

I certainly didn’t look very attractive when I smiled because of my missing and broken teeth.

It was generally unpleasant to live with.

I never had a denture, but I did need various crowns and bridges, and had some missing teeth.

I became very nervous about going to see the dentist as my experiences had been painful, so I put up with pretty shocking teeth for many years and foolishly did not keep up with required regular maintenance.’

My dentist said they could only offer me dentures – I wanted something permanent.

‘It got to the point where I thought it was getting silly; I needed to do something about it.

My NHS dentist said my case was beyond their capability to help me, and that they could only offer me dentures.

The prospect of removable dentures was something I just couldn’t face.

I wanted something that, once done, would be permanent.

I wanted something that I felt were my own teeth, that I could be completely confident with and – providing I was sensible enough to look after them – could see me out for the rest of my life.

I wanted a solution that would allow me to eat normally again and let me feel happy to smile in family photos, without needing to keep my mouth slightly closed to avoid showing my teeth.

So I spent some time online looking at my options and reading articles.

That’s when I first came across TDC Implant Centres.’

Choosing TDC Implant Centres

‘I went to three different dentists for initial consultations.

The first two were fine but, somehow, they didn’t give me the confidence to go ahead.

I’m sure they were medically competent, but I needed to find somewhere I could trust and where I felt safe and to talk openly.

I found that with TDC in Harley Street.

I had liked what I had read about them online, and I liked the testimonials that came from what appeared to be perfectly ordinary people just like myself.

I was also impressed with the phone calls from TDC before I went in for my consultation, which explained what would be involved if I did go ahead.

My patient co-ordinator was extremely friendly, impressive, professional and reassuring and all this encouraged me to go to the appointment – even though I am a very nervous patient.

The Bupa connection was also re-assuring (TDC Implant Centres are now part of Bupa Dental Care) – that gave me additional confidence.

But most of all I liked the people, even before I met the implant dentist and the surgeon.

I felt very comfortable with it all at TDC.’

My initial consultation

‘Before my initial consultation (which was free), I watched the patient videos and looked at the ‘before and afters’ on the website.

I wanted to know as much as I could, to understand what was going to happen.

I met most of the team on my first visit.

Dr Anthony Zybutz was my implant dentist – he is incredibly professional and you get a real sense of confidence and calm when you meet him.

We talked about what I needed and wanted and discussed the options; Anthony showed me what my new teeth could look like.

Nothing was hidden, everything was made very clear to me.

I had the CT scan and received my treatment plan which explained everything about the treatment – and then I decided to go ahead.

The fact that the procedure would be completed without undue delay, and I would leave on the day of surgery with a full set of teeth, was influential in my decision.’

My Smile in a Day procedure

‘Before the surgery, I met the anaesthetist who explained the conscious sedation to me, and I also met Dr Michael Zybutz, the specialist surgeon, who talked me through the surgery.

Again, he came across as professional, caring and thoroughly competent.

I was nervous about the procedure. I didn’t believe them when they said there would be no pain.

I thought they were sugar-coating it and was expecting the experience to be very unpleasant.

However, I have no memory of the extractions and felt no pain.

I just have a very vague memory of music being played in the background and was utterly unaware, although conscious, throughout.

When the surgery was over, I walked to the recovery room and read a book.

My mouth felt a bit odd for a few days as I was getting used to the feeling of having new teeth in my mouth, but I genuinely never ever had any pain.

I cannot speak highly enough of the TDC team and how they looked after me that day.

They were all so kind.

In the recovery room when I struggled to take the tablets I was given (due to my mouth still being totally numb), the nurse was so considerate in helping me.

They are a wonderful team of people.’

The results

‘I can smile. I am pain-free. I have no more infections, no more abscesses.

‘I feel more confident in my outlook now because I know nothing is going to wobble when I brush my teeth.

‘I had explained to Anthony that I didn’t want statement teeth that were overly white – I just wanted to look natural. He delivered perfectly.

We discussed the shape, size and colour of my teeth and I was even delighted with the first temporary set (which are fixed onto the implants on the day of surgery).

I hadn’t been able to bite or chew normally for 30 years.

Now, I could bite into an apple if I wanted to!

Whilst I still have my temporaries, I am being careful. However, I am looking forward to when I have my long-lasting set as I know I’ll be able to eat steak and pork chops again!

It will be a delight to bite into a burger or pick up a baguette and not have to cut it into small pieces.

Food is an important part of my life, and I am looking forward to eating normally.

I am very happy with the results.

I’ll be going back to TDC to get my lower jaw done soon!”

Book your free consultation today

If you are interested in restoring your confidence with Smile in a Day treatment, simply complete the form to book your free consultation with the TDC Implant Centres team.

We have centres in London Harley Street and Folkestone in Kent.