At 18, Sybil Kay suffered a horrific accident where she came off her horse in an accident which left her entirely toothless by the age of 22.
Now 69, Sybil is finally enjoying the smile she deserves – but the last 50 years have not been an easy ride.
After the accident, Sybil’s dentist had to remove some of her teeth that were damaged beyond repair.
However, the extent of the trauma to her jaw and tissue was later discovered when she suffered horribly from abscesses and continual bruising and was told the rest of the teeth would need to be extracted.
She had dentures fitted that had to be renewed every few years however, each time these were fitted, the tissue and bone around her jaw became weaker and softer to the point a few years ago her dentist informed her that he would no longer be able to fit these and there was nothing further he could do.
Sybil says: ‘I went back to the dentist for a renewal of my dentures like normal and he discovered that they could no longer be fitted as the lack of gum tissue meant that they could not stay in. I was devastated and terrified that I would be toothless for the remainder of my life- something I could not even comprehend. I expected my dentist to refer me to another consultant or specialist who could help me but he simply said that there was nothing that could be done. I simply couldn’t believe it.’
Sybil then had a recommendation for top dental surgeon, aesthetic practitioner and celeb favourite Dr Bob Khanna in Reading who might be able to help. She made the nearly three hour journey grasping at any hope she had that something could be done. She had a consultation and immediately felt at ease as he informed her that there were a range of options that could improve her situation.
He says: ‘Sybil had suffered massively from her injury and had already faced the prospect at a young age of losing her teeth. It was terrible that she had to face that again. After a thorough consultation and drawing up a complete treatment plan, I was able to rebuild the bone with bone grafts and the soft tissue and insert implants. I helped with build new facial support for Sybil and she was delighted with the results. The treatment took a few months to complete but we were both very happy with the outcome and she looks wonderful for it.’
Sybil adds: ‘My side profile was changing rapidly and becoming misshapen like a cartoon – Dr Bob was able to correct this. My profile now looks very nice and everyone comments on how natural my teeth look. Although I would not have been fussy, I’m very pleased they do not look like false teeth. I am just so glad I was recommended to see Dr Bob otherwise my future could have been very different- I love smiling for photographs now!’
