Implanting smiles

In his office sit scores of pictures which show people with what can only be called a ‘battisi’ smile,showing off 36 perfect pearly whites – people who smile because of this dentist. Tamhane,who has private practices in Chinchwad and on Dhole Patil Road,is a dental implantologist,or a dental surgeon who implants new tooth for those who have lost theirs,free of cost. This may sound like an obscure occupation,but it’s surprising when he reveals how many people actually require dental implants. “In a 2009 study,I had read that 18 per cent of all Indian adults are edentulous,or without teeth. This comes up to 62 million people without teeth and the numbers have only been growing since 2009,” he says. The same figures prompted him to set up the Edentulous Support Society,or the EDS,to tackle the lack of awareness about the problems that edentulous people face. “In India,missing teeth are seen as a natural sign and effect of old age,and are not really viewed as a problem. But for the person whose teeth are missing,it is very uncomfortable,” says Tamhane.

One of the most obvious problems that they face is their inability to chew food. Not only does this reduce their taste and interest in food,it also means lower nutrition because the food isn’t broken down. “Nutrition is of course a big problem,but these patients also say that they suffer from a lack of confidence and are depressed in social settings. Many of them are afraid to smile because they think it looks ugly. Others are conscious of how they sound when they are talking,” Tamhane explains. Even otherwise,the lack of teeth changes the facial structure of people,and deep wrinkles form around their mouths.

According to Tamhane,several senior citizens continue to suffer simply because they are unaware of dentures and implants. So the EDS has tied up with senior citizen clubs in Pune,Mumbai,Nagar and other places in the state to target the right audience. “We have organized several seminars and lectures to explain what kinds of treatment are there and how their life will change with dentures,” he says. The organisation has also hosted several talks and camps where they educate the younger population on the importance of maintaining oral hygiene. There are some elderly people who attend the EDS camps and seminars,but can do little to change their own fortunes because they don’t have the resources. For these patients,Tamhane and his team of dentists have set up a fund,so that they can get consultations and fitted dentures free of cost.

In the four years since the organisation’s conception,over 100 dentists across Maharashtra have joined EDS,and together they have treated over 12,000 patients. Now Tamhane hopes to take the EDS initiative to the national level,with tie-ups in other cities too.

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